What is Glee without Burt Hummel?
by moviequotesaremylife
Summary: He's not dead. He can't be."I'm so sorry Kurt. The hospital called. He's gone. He just slipped away" What would have happened if Burt had died of his heart attack? What about Kurt? Orphaned and forced to leave Lima, McKinley and his friends to live with an estranged aunt who isn't the best person. Will the world ever stop beating up on Kurt?
1. Burts dead

Hi! I love Glee! So this is just a story about what would've happened if Burt had died of his heart attack in 2x03. Horrible thought, and I love Burt, but it was sitting in my head and I had to get it written down. Tell me what you guys think. I have more chapters. Should I post them?  
"Disclaimer: I don't own glee. Oh well.

Kurt finishes singing 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'. A few tears leak from his eyes at the end and he sniffs and wipes at them. His heart feels heavy with worry but he does his best to be strong. The others clap softly for him. Mr. Schue asks him to stay behind for a moment to talk to him when he dismisses the rest of the students. Mr. Schue makes sure all the others leave the room before he leads Kurt into his office.

There they find Miss Pillsbury waiting for them. He figures Mr. Schue wants to ask him how he is holding up, or he did. But now, both adults are looking at him with pity. "Kurt, It's about your dad…" Miss Pillsbury says.

That could mean one of two things; he either woke up or died. And based on their expressions it's not the first. "Oh God. No." Kurt says. "He's not… Please!" He's not dead. He can't be.

"I'm so sorry Kurt. The hospital called. He's gone. He just slipped away…" She keeps talking, attempting to give him a comforting explanation about how his dad went peacefully but he stopped listening.

He feels like his heart is collapsing in on itself. His legs, no longer able to support him, give out and he sinks to the floor. Tears fall down his face in a cascade he hasn't allowed since his mom died. He can't believe it's true. He doesn't want to. Muttered 'No's escape him repeatedly. Mr. Schue kneels next to him, wrapping his arm around him carefully. Kurt gasps for breath and continues to deny the possibility of his father is dead. He clutches at Mr. Schue's jacket; begs with the teacher to tell him that it's not so. Kurt's crying doesn't come in loud sobs but in long keens in which he doesn't even breathe. Between the keens he gasps for breath. The teacher cradles him like the child he is. Tells him to breathe. He cries in Mr. Schue's arms for nearly an hour before exhaustion takes over.

He stirs briefly when he's picked up by a different set of arms. He finds it's Finn. The tall jock carries Kurt out to the Hudson's car. Carole was there too, she speaks to Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury about something, Kurt misses it as he slips back into the numbness of sleep.

Kurt wakes in a bed that is not his own. He jerks up in shock and panic, looking wildly around. The room is small and messy. The clothes laying around the room and the pictures tell Kurt that he is in Finn's bedroom. He remembers why he's not at his own home. He woke up from a nightmare about his dad's death to a reality of it.

He's still in his outfit from earlier, minus the jacket, which is now horribly wrinkled and disgusting. His phone had fallen out of his pocket in his sleep and is laying on the floor next to the bed. He picks it up to check the time. It's almost seven in the evening. There's also already multiple texts from different friends and relatives giving their condolences and asking how he's doing. He doesn't respond to them just curls up in Finn's blankets and cries silently.

A short while later he can smell food from the kitchen and figures Carole's made dinner. Despite his stomach growling, he would like to just lie in grief forevermore. However, Carole peeks her head into the room to check on him. Upon finding him awake, she asks him if he is hungry. He shakes his head but his stomach betrays him by making more noise. She smiles sadly, "I know it's hard. But you should try to eat something. C'mon Sweetie."

She comes over to the bed and sits him up. Her eyes are red and puffy, she too has been crying, he notices. Wrapping her arms around him, they hold each other for a moment. It takes a few minutes but she does convince him to come out and eat something.

Finn is already sitting at the dining room table eating the beef stroganoff Carole prepared. Carole sits Kurt down in a chair and grabs a plate and utensils for him. He tries to eat, he manages enough to get his stomach to quiet, but he mostly pushes the food around his plate. Eventually, Carole gives in and takes his plate away; she puts the leftovers in the fridge in case he wants some later. His head is laying on the table; his mind lost in thought. Tears flowing continually from his eyes. After putting away the food Carole sits next to him and does her best to comfort him by rubbing his back. "What do you want right now, sweetie?" realizing she already knows the answer is his father, she amends to "What can I do for you?".

"I want to go home. And just go to bed." Kurt mumbles.

"You can stay here tonight, Dude." Finn says from where he is also still seated at the table. "You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Kurt shakes his head. "I need my pajamas, my moisturizers." Finn laughs a little at that. He doesn't understand. Kurt's dad just died, it should be all consuming of his thoughts and time, and it is. The need for his beauty products is not for the sake of vanity right now. It's instinctual, for the sake of normality. His whole world just changed and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. He needs something that he can control no matter what comes in the next few days and weeks. For him that is his appearance. It's been the same way all week, going to school with hair and outfits styled to perfection as usual. Because something needs to be constant while the rest of his world is in turmoil.

Whether or not Carole gets it, she decides that if Kurt wants to stay the night at his own house then she and Finn will stay with him. Finn is told to go pack a bag and she does the same. Then the three of them go to the Hummel house. It's barley nine o'clock when they get there but Kurt goes immediately to his room. He takes a quick shower and completes an imperfect but acceptable moisturizing routine and puts on his silk pajamas. After he crawls into bed he expects to fall asleep due to exhaustion. It has been a long day. But he lies awake for hours; tears still slipping from his eyes. He listens to the Hudson's go to bed and the house becomes quiet. Still, he tosses and turns. Thinking about his dad, and his mom.

Finally, at around one in the morning he gives up. He gets up and wanders upstairs in search of something to help. He gets some milk from the kitchen and quietly warms it up on the stove. Finn is sleeping on a pile of blankets on the floor, and Kurt is surprised that Carole is sleeping on the couch. Surprised and grateful, she didn't sleep in his dad's bed in his parents' room like Kurt had expected. The thought of their room leads Kurt down the hall to it.

Nothing in the room has physically changed since the morning his dad had his heart attack. But it feels different. The whole house seems hollow. Kurt sets his glass of warm milk on the bedside table and walks over to his mother's old dresser. He opens the drawers, releasing the sent of her perfume that lingers there. His last comfort when thinking of her gets to be too much. He tears up at it now. It's comforting and he wants something like it for his memories of his father. Looking around the room he settles on the closet. Before he would never consider wearing one of those awful flannel shirts his dad loved but touching the fabric now it's almost like his father is there. So, Kurt switches his silk pajama shirt for one of his dad's old work shirts. The flannel wrapped around him is not dissimilar to when his dad hugged him. Kurt crawls into his parent's bed wrapped in his dad's shirt and surrounded by his mother's faint sent. In this position he finally falls asleep.

Kurt sleeps very well that night considering the day he had. He wakes the next morning feeling a little better. He looks at the clock on his father's nightstand and sees it's after eleven in the morning. He climbs out of the bed rather quickly, he is so late for school. He reluctantly runs from the room. Carole sees him from the living room where she is sitting. "Kurt?" he doesn't notice she is there until she talks. "Where're you dashing off to?"

"I need to go to school. I'm late." He says.

"Sweetie, you're okay. No one expects you to go to school today. We let you sleep in on purpose." She says. "Come here." He sits next to her on the couch, he didn't want to go to school anyway. "Your teachers and principal Figgins are giving you a pass today."

He accepts it and leans his head on her shoulder. "How are you?" she asks.

He has a feeling he's going to be hearing that question a lot. "I'm- I'm okay. I guess. I just…" Kurt had thought that after yesterday afternoon and last night his body is surely incapable of producing more tears, but he is proven wrong when his vision becomes blurry once again. "…I just miss him." He says.

"I know, sweetie. I miss him too." Carole hugs Kurt. She notices the shirt he is wearing is not the one he wore last night when he went to bed. "Is this his shirt?"

"Yeah" He wraps his arms around himself, gripping the shirt. Kurt doesn't feel much like talking so he gives short answers whenever Carole asks him a question.

Carole goes to the kitchen and makes a strawberry chicken salad for the two of them for lunch. Kurt loves this salad but he hardly tastes it this time. After they eat Carole has to leave to go figure things out for the funeral. She turns on Project Runway on Netflix for Kurt to watch while she is gone. He lays on the couch, letting the drama of the people on the show numb his pain for a little while.

The third episode was playing before he was interrupted again. His phone started ringing. He picked it up off the coffee table, not planning on answering it, until he saw it was his grandpa calling. The voice of Hubert Hummel comes through the line to Kurt's ear when he answers the call. "Hey Squirt."

"Hi." Kurt says softly.

"That pretty girlfriend of your dad came to see me a little while ago. She told me what happened. How are you holding up?" His grandpa asked.

Kurt drew in a shaky breath. "It hurts so bad." Kurt chokes out. "What about you?"

"I'm hurting too. No parent should outlive their child." He says. "But I think t's worse for you. No kid deserves to lose his parents so young."

"It's not fair." Kurt's losing the grip he's nearly had on his emotions for the last couple hours.

Hubert and Kurt cry together over the phone until Carole comes back to the house. Kurt is laying on the couch, where she left him. Holding the phone to his ear though he hasn't said anything in a while. His grandpa is doing his best to calm the him, ineffectively. Carole takes the cell away from him. She runs her hand through his sweat soaked hair, he's making himself sick. Carole talks to Hubert for a moment while taking stock of Kurt's condition.

After hanging up with the old man, Carole sits on the couch next to Kurt and pulls him into her arms. The TV is still on, with the same episode he'd been watching earlier paused on the screen. Carole plays the show and engages him in it by asking about the clothes. Her efforts get him to breathe properly; leading him to sleep once again.


	2. Funeral

Hey! Here's chapter two. Hope you like it. And don't cry too much. Tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own glee. Nor do I own Sarah McLachlan's "Song for my father".

The night before Burt's funeral was to take place Kurt find himself, once again in his parents' bed, unable to sleep. His mother's perfume and his father's shirt aren't enough tonight. He tosses and turns until the sun breaks over the horizon. The viewing starts this morning at 10 and will go for about an hour and a half. Following that, they travel to the cemetery and lay Burt next to his wife.

When the clock hits six a.m. Kurt gives up on sleep and gets up. He makes his way down to his basement. He let Carole sleep in his bed since he'd been sleeping in his parents'. So, he gathers his beauty products and clothes as quietly as possible and returns up to his parent's bathroom. The shower he takes is long and warm, to better relax him. He spends extra time on his moisturizing routine to try and rid his face of the red, puffy eyes and the bags underneath them. His products help some but he puts make up on to make his face look the best it could. He chooses a matte dress shirt with a slightly shimmery vest on top and simple, fitted dress pants; all in black. Lastly, he goes to work on his hair.

When he finally deems himself presentable it's almost nine, they need to leave soon. But first, Kurt goes to his mother's dresser and rifles around for the half-full bottle of her perfume he knows is in there. He spritzes himself with it, then puts it back. He also grabs his dad's favorite baseball cap and takes it with him.

Sometime in the hours he'd spent making himself presentable Carole and Finn had woken up. They had gotten themselves ready in the same time he had. They are waiting for him to be ready so they can go. They have to leave early to go to the elderly home and pick up Kurt's grandpa. They four of them pull through a McDonalds for breakfast. Only Finn is able to finish the food he'd gotten.

They arrive at the funeral parlor a few minutes early. The casket containing Burt already set up in the front of the room. It is just the four of them; they take this time to look upon their fallen family member without interruption. At least until the mortuary's funeral organizer enters. Then Carole speaks with him, Finn follows his mother like a puppy and Hubert, with his old joints, has to sit down. Kurt alone remains gazing at his father.

All he has to say about the scene was that his dad doesn't look like himself in a nice suit and with make up on. Kurt clutches the worn hat in his hands, he'd brought it as comfort for himself, but he knew now that it had a greater purpose. Carefully he slips the hat on his father's head, where it belonged. It helps him look just a bit more like himself.

Kurt keeps on standing there until more people start showing up. Burt's friends, the guys from the tire-shop, even some of their most regular customers. Mr. Schuster and Ms. Pillsbury come around, as well as all the New Directions. Each and every one of them approach Kurt, weather he was standing by the casket or sitting in a chair next to his grandpa, to express their condolences to him.

Mercedes and Quinn are the first two to show up of Kurt's friends. Each pull him into a big hug. Puck, surprisingly shows up fairly early in as well. Followed by Santana and Brittany. The blonde quickly jumps towards Kurt to pull him into a tight hug and kisses his cheek. "I'm sorry about your Daddy, Kurtie."

"Thanks Boo." He whispers.

"It's super sad he had to go to the angels and leave you."

"Britt." Santana chastises.

As each friend shows up, he is pulled into a seemingly endless number of hugs. They all take seats around him, Brittany even in his lap for a while. Then they start the ceremonial speeches. It was open to anyone who wanted to say something. His grandpa tells stories from Burt's childhood. "…He took to things whole heartedly. Loved with all he had. He was the best son I could ask for."

Carole talks about how much she loved him. "...Burt saved me. We fully believed we were going to get married one day. It breaks my heart that that future was taken from us…"

Finn got up as well. "I don't remember my dad. For most my life I didn't have any idea of what it was to have one. Until my mom started dating Burt…"

Enzo, Burt's best friend, got up to talk as well. A few other people who were very close to him. Kurt was the last to go. He stood in front of everyone, unsure of himself. "I- I don't know what to say about him. He's my dad, the most important person in my life. Our relationship was sacred. My mom died when I was eight and he was the only reason I got through it. And now he's gone. And I don't know what to do now. How-w…" he sniffs blinking back the tears. "There's nothing I can say about what I'm feeling. So, I'm gonna sing about it."

The music he'd asked for earlier begins to playthrough the room.

"How I wish that I could tell you

It's to you that I would run.

You were the place that I could always rest my head

When my world had come undone.

cause I've been wrestling with my demons;

They're telling me I have no choice.

How I wish that I could lean upon you now

Amidst the chaos and the noise.

Your light buried the dark

A constant unwavering heart.

You were the well to cool my fury

Deep and calm your waters feel.

Your quiet words a salve to soothe my wayward soul.

It was there I learned to heal.

Your light buried the dark

A constant unwavering heart.

Oh, I hope that you can hear me.

Through the ravages of time.

You have carried me through more than you could know;

I still feel your hand in mine.

Your light buried the dark

A constant unwavering heart.

Your light buried the dark

A constant unwavering heart."

His voice cracks a couple times in the song. Tears are pouring down his face. He rushes down to take his seat with his family and friends again.

The entire group then moves out to their cars. A few people who are not as close to the Hummels go home; but the rest are going to the cemetery to bury Burt. Kurt and his grandpa make their way towards Carole's car with the Hudson's. They are met going out the door by Kurt's Aunt Laurette and her husband Vincent Cote. "Hi. Sorry we're late traffic." She explains.

To say Laurette is estranged from her family is an understatement. Since she married Vincent, she hasn't ever come around. Kurt had never even really met her. Every few Christmases she might call to say a quick hello, but never any other contact. They lived in Columbus, only about two hours away; if she actually cared about her brother's death or being there for her only other living family she could have been here the day he died. Still she is Burt's sister so Hubert greets her kindly, informing her that they are heading out to the cemetery. If it was up to Kurt he would have told her to get lost; he doesn't know her, she doesn't know him or his dad, she has no reason to be here.

He flinches when she pinched his cheeks. "Oh, look at you. I haven't seen you since you were just a little baby." She looks at him with a bright smile. He just looks at her like she was crazy. As far as he knows she is. He just says they need to go to the cemetery and walks away, out the door and into Carole's car.

Kurt avoids his aunt during the burial. It isn't hard as he doesn't say much to anyone. He stands alone, mentally cursing the bright sun, it's insulting the loss of his dad. The whole word should be dark and miserable like he is.

Watching his father's body be lowered into the hole in the ground gives Kurt deja vou to half his life ago when he stood in the same place he was now and watched his mother's body be lowered into her own grave. Their shared headstone is complete now. Seeing both names with dates there now brings a word to his mind he hadn't thought of yet. Orphan. He is an orphan. His heart stops, he stops breathing, everything just freezes up.

People are looking at him expectantly. He's supposed to pour a handful of dirt onto the casket now. But he can't. It's far too real now. It's over; completely over. He can't move at all. If he could he would run as far from this place as he could. But he's still frozen. His head starts spinning. Between his irregular breath and locked knees, it takes almost no time for him to fall over in a dead faint.


	3. Burt's will

_Another chapter! I nearly forgot to post today. I should be updating every week. This chapter starts slower, dealing with the legal ramifications that are realistic in this situation of Kurt being left an orphan. But it's important in setting up some of the rest of the story and introducing Kurt's aunt and uncle's personalities. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated._

 _Disclaimer: Don't own Glee :(_

After Kurt had fainted at the cemetery, his family had swiftly got him out of there and brought him back home. They'd forced him to eat some food, because he hadn't been eating much this week. Carole had checked him over for signs of injury or sickness. It took them a long while to ask him why he'd fainted. It was Carole and his grandpa doting on him, but his aunt and uncle were there too. He'd told them about his thoughts. That he was an orphan now and didn't know what was going to happen to him. This led them to calling Burt's lawyer about his will. Carole and Hubert had planned on waiting a day or two to figure everything out. But Kurt was scared so they pushed the meeting up to this day.

So, now he's sitting in the living room with the adults. He hadn't known his father even had a will until today. Apparently, he'd made it after Kurt's mom had died, just in case. The lawyer, a Johnathon Hampton, is saying, "Burt Hummel's Will is rather simple. Everything goes to his son, Kurt."

"What!?" Laurette asks.

"Everything Burt owned goes to Kurt." Mr. Hampton says. "Now, he doesn't get the house because it's under mortgage, it belongs to the bank. The cars also are on loan, so those will be sold as well."

"I can't keep my car?" Kurt asks.

"Only if you can pay the monthly bills on it."

Kurt considers. He really wants to keep his car. "How much?"

"I don't know what your dad's loan is, but we can look into that later." Kurt nods. Mr. Hampton continues. "You get your dad's money, everything left over from paying off any debt he has. Everything in the house is yours, so you'll have to figure out what to do with it all. You also inherit the Hummel Tires and Lube garage. I can help you figure out what to do with that. Selling it or something. That's the basic list. But, you called with a specific concern. What is it you are wondering about?"

"Well, um… What am I, er, where am I supposed to go now? My mom died and now my dad," he squeezes his hand tight in Carole comforting grip. "Where am I going to live now? Who…?"

Mr. Hampton raises his hand to disrupt the almost rambling of Kurt. "Custody. Who has custody over you? Your dad doesn't have anyone specified. It used to be your grandpa but after he was placed in an assisted living center your dad took him out and hadn't replaced him with anyone else before he died. So, you become a ward of the state."

Kurt is disappointed at this news. "Can't I just live with Carole?"

"Unfortunately, no. For her to get custody she'll have to go through the state system." He addresses this to Kurt and Carole. "And as there is nothing about custody in Burt's will I can't help with this problem. Kurt will be assigned a social worker and you, all of you, will have to work what you want out with them. I can call a contact I have in the department and get them to send your social worker over today." The group all nod in understanding. Kurt's exceptionally worried now. Why does it have to be so complicated? "Now, any question about the will?"

Kurt shakes his head and Mr. Hampton places the call.

They spend the next hour helping Kurt figure out what to do about everything he now owns. He determines to keep the tire shop and have the assistant manager promoted to help him run it. He didn't want to lay off all the people that worked there, including Finn. The house and his father's car would be sold but he would likely be able to keep his navigator. He'd have to sort through everything in the house. Probably sell off most of the furniture but keep a bunch of it in storage or something. It depends on how the custody works out. Mr. Hamilton left afterwards, promising to get things worked out for him.

The social worker was due to show up at about seven that evening. With the hours between Kurt's friends come over. They distract him by watching movies and playing games. They order pizza for dinner and even get Kurt to eat a couple full pieces; the veggie loaded one of course, with none of the greasy meats. All the teens left the house at about six thirty except Kurt and Finn.

His social worker is very punctual. She arrives promptly at seven and introduces herself as Lindsey Newton. Kurt invites her to have a seat in the living room where they all gather. "Well Kurt, first I want to say how sorry I am for your loss." She says.

"Thanks." He mumbles out of politeness.

"I think we can move this along rather quickly, as you have family." She turned her attention from Kurt to his family members surrounding. "Who of you is wanting or willing to take him in?"

Carole speaks up immediately. "I want him. I'd love to take Kurt in." She expresses sincerely.

Ms. Newton smiles and write in the notepad she brought with her. "That's wonderful. How are you related?"

"I'm- I was his father's girlfriend."

"Oh. Alright." Her tone makes Kurt worried. "I'm sorry to say if you don't have a blood or marital relationship getting custody of Kurt is going to be more difficult. You'll have to be approved as a foster parent, it could take a little longer."

Carole holds Kurt's hand. "I'm willing to do what I have to."

"Okay. If you're the only one we can probably streamline the process in order to get him placed with you as quickly as we can."

"I'd be willing to take him in." Laurette injects herself into the conversation. She writes down something after everyone speaks.

Kurt, Carole, and Hubert look at her very surprised, and in Kurt's case a bit weirded out. "And what relationship do you have to Kurt?" Ms. Newton takes the offer in stride.

"I'm his aunt." Laurette says. It's not a lie, but it's certainly not the entire truth, because there is no relationship between them on any level but blood.

"Okay." She says it lighter than when she responded to Carole. "That will certainly be an easier case to process."

Kurt fears that his aunt might get custody right then just because of blood. Carole squeezes his hand, one look in her eyes tells him she's have similar thoughts to his. His aunt says something about taking him in because he's all that's left of her 'dear' brother. Ms. Newton listens intently, obviously believing every word of the sentimental bull-crap. He turns his eyes to the floor in despair.

"Kurt. Kurt?" Ms. Newton noticing his movement, draws his attention back up to her. "What's your opinion buddy? Who would you rather live with?" She asks.

Less than a second after she asks he's answering, "I want to be with Carole", glad he gets to have an opinion. "Please."

Ms. Newton glances around the room at the gathered party. "Okay. I'll take the night to look over everything. I'll see if Carole is a candidate to foster Kurt. Then, tomorrow afternoon I'll come back with the verdict. And we'll move from there. Okay?"

They all agree. Laurette's smile is looking a little more forced to Kurt than it was earlier, but just as fake. But, he and Carole are hoping everything will work out. Ms. Newton leaves.

After the long day he's had and not getting any sleep the night before Kurt is exhausted. As are Carole, Finn and Hubert. So, they decide to just turn in for the night. "Okay. So, Kurt, you have your own bed. Carole and her son, I'm assuming live pretty close, so they can just go home. On their way they can drop my dad back off at the home. Vincent and I will sleep in the master bedroom." Laurette says.

Everyone else gets somewhat offended by her assumptions. It only gets worse when she tries to enforce them, shooing Carole. Kurt goes full diva on her. "Absolutely not!" He gets in her face, stopping her from moving towards his parents' room. "This is my house not yours. You do not get to make any decisions here. So, shut up and listen!"

She now looks offended at him. "Kurt, I'm just trying to hel…"

"No!" Kurt says. "You're trying to kick them out. But this is my house and they are my guests. You don't get a say! I am going to sleep in my parents' bed. Carole, Finn and Grandpa get my room and the couch. If you want to stay here you can sleep on the floor. If you don't like that; you can find a hotel. Or better yet, go home. They are the people I love and I'm going to live with them when this is over. I don't know what you're trying to get at by asking for custody are but it doesn't matter. Because you don't know me; I've met you all of twice in my life and I don't remember the first time because I was four months old. You've never been an aunt to me! You haven't a sister to my Dad! You aren't family and I don't want you around!"

Kurt can almost see the smoke coming from her ears by the end of his rant. She opens her mouth, probably to try and rebuke him; but she is speechless. Unfortunately, her husband isn't. "How dare you!?" Vincent's voice is large and deep. He's also a very huge in build; tall and broad with well-developed muscles. "How dare you speak to her like that?" Vincent raises a hand in a way that makes Kurt think he's going to backhand him. Kurt flinches.

Obviously, Kurt isn't the only one who gets the impression of Vincent trying to slap him as Finn jumps in front of the smaller boy, grabs the hand Vincent would have brought down and shoves the older man away. "Don't touch him!" Finn says, his stance protective between Kurt and the two Cotes.

Carole brings the cowering Kurt under her arm and holds him. Finn and Vincent glare at each other for a few moments. Hubert keeps a fight from breaking out by telling Vincent and Laurette to get out, forcefully. They do so, none too happily.

As soon as they're gone and his grandpa locks the front door behind them, Kurt releases his tense muscles and collapses to the floor; more exhausted than he was before. The others gather around him. "Don't worry dude. I'd never let him hit you." Finn gives Kurt's shoulder a squeeze. It brings to Kurt's attention the fact that he is trembling.

He nods at the boy he considers a brother to say he trusts and believes him. Carole tells Finn to carry Kurt to bed so he can sleep. The tall boy does so. He lays Kurt on the bed and asks him what he needs. Kurt doesn't bother with having Finn bring him any pajamas just asks him to open the dresser drawers and give him one of his dad's shirts from the closet. Kurt pulls the shirt on and sleeps in only that and his boxers, curled up under the covers. He doesn't even have the energy to cry properly tonight. He just whimpers a little as he falls into a deep sleep.


	4. Custody

_Chapter 4! I'm so happy people are liking this story. I'm loving writing it. I hope you all keep reading and liking it. Reviews are much appreciated._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or Kurt. Nor do i own any of the songs mentioned herein (you should give them a listen)._

Vincent and Laurette come to the front door mid-morning the next day. Kurt shut the door in their faces in the same second that he opened it and saw them. Hubert and Carole deal with them on the porch, not allowing them in the house. When they come back into the house, the Cote's are gone again. "I don't want to live with them." Kurt says.

"I know, sweetie. And you won't. You're going to come live with me and Finn." Carole says.

"But, what if Ms. Newton says you can't be a foster parent?"

Hubert cuts in. "Carole's been taking care of you all week. She's been staying here to take care of you since your dad died and she did what she could even when he was in the coma. It'll all work out."

Kurt isn't convinced. "And even if she say's I can't right now. I will do whatever I need to until I can. But you won't be forced to live with them. We're going to tell Ms. Newton what happened last night. She'll never put you with someone who tried to hurt you."

To keep Kurt's mind off the custody issues, they begin going through everything in the house. Sorting what Kurt wants to keep most to least. They start with the easier things like the living room. The furniture from this room will all be sold. Kurt will take the books and movies he wants to keep and the rest can be given away to friends or donated to the library or Goodwill. Finn volunteers to keep the tv in his room, which Carole vetoes but says it can go in their living room since their current tv is tiny. Kurt decides that they can take any of the entertainment center gadgets they want. He also tells Carole to take any kitchen appliances she wants. So, they pack those things up in boxes for them to take to their house. They almost finish those two rooms before Ms. Newtons shows up.

She arrives at the house at about one in the afternoon. They all take seats in the now cluttered living room. Ms. Newton begins by asking, "Is your aunt here?" of Kurt.

"No." Kurt says. "She's not coming either."

"This pertains to her too. She needs to be here. Could you give her a call?"

"No." Kurt protests. "It doesn't have anything to do with her. I'm not going to live with her so she doesn't need to be here."

Ms. Newton looks at him with pity. "I know you want to live with Carole. But she isn't eligible to be a foster parent. So, we've decided to give custody to your aunt."

Despair takes over Kurt. He shakes his head and shrinks into the couch, drawing as far from his social worker as he can. "No. I don't want to. I won't." He whimpers in fear.

Finn gets protective of him again and kneels in front of the couch, placing himself between Kurt and Ms. Newton; and grips Kurt's arm to comfort him. "You can't make him live with them." he glares hotly at her. Her look of pity stays in place as she begins to argue. He doesn't let her. "You can't. You're supposed to help him. They aren't safe. They'll hurt him."

"They aren't going to hurt him." There's almost some amusement mixed in with her pity. "I know it's difficult and it's not what you want. But…"

"No! They will hurt him. They already tried." Finn says.

Kurt had, during their conversation slipped off the couch to cling to Finn. Ms. Newton pauses for a moment looking at the two of them, perhaps realizing it isn't an exaggeration or a lie made by the teen. "What do you mean?" She asks.

Before Finn can burst out in rage again Carole tells him to calm down and takes over the explanation. "Last night Kurt and Laurette got into a small argument. Laurette's husband, Vincent, tried to hit Kurt because of it."

"What were they arguing about?" Ms. Newton asks.

"Sleeping arrangements." Hubert says.

Ms. Newton is confused and shocked by this. She opens and shuts her mouth a few times but can't seem to find the question she's trying to ask. "What?" She almost laughs. Obviously, she's skeptical.

"Laurette wanted Carole, Finn and grandpa to leave. But I didn't. She was trying to kick them out. I told her she couldn't because it's my house. He didn't like me talking back to her." Kurt says quietly.

"He tried to hit you for that?"

"Yes. He brought his hand up and tried to swing it into my face. Finn stopped him." Kurt hugs Finn in gratitude in this moment.

She looks skeptical and serious. "I'll need you all to come to my office with me. And we'll need to get them there as well." She stands and begins ushering them up. "We need to go quickly. I've already started the paperwork process. We need to get this sorted."

A half an hour later finds them all, including Vincent and Laurette, at Ms. Newton's office. The social worker brings in a few of her coworkers: a child psychologist; an enforcement agent, to act as a middle man between possibly violent interpersonal disputes; and her boss, the head of the department. Kurt, Carole, Hubert and Finn retell the story of last night, in more detail this time. The head of the department and the psychologist ask questions throughout. After the four of them finish the story, the head turns the conversation to the Cotes. He asks them for their side of the story. Of course, they deny it all. They are quite good actors, making themselves seem shocked and offended by the accusations. "I never did anything of the sort." Vincent protests.

Finn tries to interrupt but is told to remain quiet. Vincent goes on to explain "I stepped between my wife and Kurt because he was being very rude to her and I told him to stop. The only violence was this other young man pushing me. I never made any move at all to hit Kurt, or anything else of the sort."

Laurette backs him up in every word.

The social service employees gather together in the far corner of the room and discuss the situation among themselves quietly. Kurt doesn't know how long they debate; occasionally they do things on the computer. To him though it feels like forever and he's terrified. He curls up on the bench and puts his head on Carole's shoulder. Everyone is silent, waiting. Carole is holding Kurt. Hubert, on Kurt's other side, is resting his arm comfortingly across Kurt's back. Finn is glaring at Kurt's aunt and uncle; who are on another bench separated from them by a potted plant.

The waiting becomes arduous. Kurt gets more and more nervous, the longer it takes them. He doubts they'll give custody to Carole, which upsets him. So, he's just praying that he won't be placed with his aunt. Surely, nothing good can come from that.

Finally, the head addresses the waiting group. "This incident is difficult, naturally. But since we have no proof of anything, it becomes your words against theirs. We must assume Mr. Cote is innocent." He explains calmly. Kurt clutches tighter to Carole. "However, we are rescinding the passing of full custody to Mrs. Cote." That was a relief. "Kurt is going to stay a ward of the state for at least a few months."

"Where will Kurt be staying then?" Carole asks the question before Kurt got the chance to.

"Kurt will still be living with his aunt and uncle. They just won't have full custody." Kurt's heart sinks. "Even if Mr. Cote had no intention of hitting Kurt. It is clear Kurt felt that he might have. That Kurt is not comfortable with what's happening. But the Cotes are still the best candidates for guardianship. So, we'll place him in their care. They will foster him like any other home we could place him in would. And we'll be checking in on them recurrently. So, if something does happen we can remove him from their care."

It's clear that the social workers are doing their best to appease everyone. But, Kurt just doesn't want this. He's crying into Carole's shirt. "Can't he just stay with us?" Finn asks.

"No. I'm sorry, son. Your mother isn't in a financial position that satisfies our requirements. We can't allow her to take in another teenager." Ms. Newton says. Finn is very unhappy with this, Kurt can clearly see. He feels the same. It all just sucks.

The head of the social department continues with his explanations, addressing Vincent and Laurette. "Kurt will need to be living with you by the end of the week. You'll need to deal with his schooling, since he probably won't be able to stay at McKinley, what with you living in Columbus"

Kurt doesn't want to change schools. He doesn't want to live with his estranged aunt and uncle. He doesn't want to leave Carole. This is happening to him. It's his life being turned upside down; doesn't he get any say in what happens to him?

Evidently not as he spends all his free time the next two days packing and going through everything in his house. Carole helps him sell off the furniture from the house. He had two suitcases to pack in, for taking with him. If it didn't fit, it got packed up in boxes to be stored in the storage unit Carole had helped him get at the local facility in Lima. The unit would hold the boxes of his and his parents' belongings and his mother's dresser, which he refused to get rid of. One of his two suitcases, is full of exclusively of his clothes, it was stuffed to the brink of bursting. In the other he puts his favorite books, movies, magazines, and his sketchbooks, his hair and skin products, his accessories, lots pictures of his family and friends, and a few objects of sentimental value: his mom's perfume, a few of his dad's shirts, and his awards for glee, cheerleading and football last year, and a few other essentials.

It was Monday when it was decided that he would live with the Cotes. He finishes packing Wednesday pretty late into the night. They are leaving on Thursday, Vincent and Laurette want the morning but Kurt is still enrolled in McKinley for the day, so he convinces them that he can't miss it or it will reflect bad on them. So, he gets one final day with his friends. His locker is already cleaned out. He's missed most the past week of school and is not coming back so he doesn't bother to pay attention in his classes. He only really came for Glee club. He enters the choir room for what will be his last time. For about the zillionth time in the past week and a half since his dad fell into a coma he finds tears spilling uncontrollably from his eyes.

His friends surround him. Each of them hug him. He takes his seat, sniffing. Mr. Schue begins speaking at the front of the room. "I'll make this brief so you all have time to sing what you want. Today's a hard day for all of us. We are really going to miss you Kurt. So, we have put together a few numbers for you. Floors yours guys."

First up is Tina singing 'Gone too Soon' by MJ. The group comes together to sing "You will Never be Forgotten" by Jessica Andrews. And Rachel leads them through 'So Long, Farewell' from The Sound of Music. Finn sings 'This is not goodbye' by Sidewalk Prophets. Mercedes is the last to perform a song. She sings 'See You Again' by Carrie Underwood.

Each friend gives Kurt big farewell hugs and express their feelings towards him leaving. Mr. Schue, Artie, Quinn and even Santana say that they are going to miss him. Tina sobs and Mike has to pry her off Kurt. Puck tells Kurt to call him if Vincent ever lays a hand on him, the glee club all knew the situation, and he would beat the man for Kurt. Rachel admits she will miss fighting him for solos and is going to miss having competition in the club. Brittany tells him he is her favorite dolphin and wishes for him to find another dolphin to kiss while he's gone, because he is the best dolphin kisses she knows. Then she kisses him full on mouth and runs into Santana's arms to cry. Mercedes and he don't exchange words just hug each other; silently promising to keep in contact and saying that they are the others best friend. Finn hugs him fiercely and tells him to come visit.

These words bring a new round of tears to Kurt's eyes. He quickly turns, if he lingers here for much longer he won't be able to get himself to leave. He finds Vincent and Laurette standing in the hallway just outside the door. He wonders how long they've been watching. He walks out there to meet them and Finds Carole is out there too. He runs to her for one last embrace, "I don't want to go." He whines

"I know sweetie. But you are always welcome in our house if you want to come around. You're a son to me, and that won't change." Carole promises.

Then Laurette take hold of his arm and pulls him away. She leads him, not so willingly, down the hallway and away from them. He waves at his friends calling out 'bye's, until rounding a corner and losing sight of them. Vincent's bright red convertible 2010 Maserati is parked on an angle, taking up 3 parking spaces in the school's lot. Some of the football players are ogling it. "Okay shows over." Vincent shoos the boys. Then turns to Kurt and snatches his wrist up. The grown man shoves a crumpled paper into Kurt's hand and says. "That's the address. You follow us in your car. Be there by six. Don't get sidetracked."

Then he and Laurette get in the Maserati and peel out of the parking lot. Kurt gets in his navigator to follow them; grateful neither of them insisted on coming in his car to keep him from straying. He has to input the address into his GPS to help him get there. He flips the radio to his favorite station and settles into the two-plus-hour drive.


	5. New Home?

_Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry for the late upload. I completely spaced it yesterday. But Chapter 5! Yay! I hope you're all as excited as me._

 _This is not a story about abuse. Kurt's aunt and uncle are abusive but they will only be recurring characters in this story. This is abut Kurt being lost and depressed after Burt's death, the abuse is just an added side thing to make his life even more miserable. WARNING: there is some violence and severe depression in this story and it is only set to get worse. Read at your own risk._

 _Anyway, hope you guys like keep enjoying it. I appreciate feedback. Praise and constructive criticism are wholly welcomed._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

They have a decent sized apartment for only two, in Columbus. There's a spacious kitchen and a fancy entertainment room. From what Kurt gets the chance to see the master bedroom and bath are huge. He's not allowed in their though, it's one of the numerous rules Vincent and Laurette set in place. He's also not to touch any of their expensive things or disturb them while they are working. Laurette mostly works from home so the second spacious room is used as her office. Leaving Kurt, the small extra room to use as his. As well as the half bath across the hall.

The room is about as small as the janitors closet at McKinley. There's a small bed, no closet and no windows. Kurt honestly doesn't even care. He just drops his school bag and collapses on the bed in a somber heap, content to not move again all night. He doesn't even shift his position when his arm goes numb under his head or when Laurette calls his name from the kitchen.

Che calls out again and again and eventually just barges into the room. "Kid, can't you hear me? I've been trying to get you to come to dinner. Come on! Before it gets cold."

"M'not hungry." He mumbles.

She huffs. "I don't care. I'm responsible for your care now and I'm not going to fail that because you're too mopey to eat. Get your butt out there and eat your dinner."

He doesn't move or respond. She pulls him to his feet and drags him out to the living room. There are Chinese takeout boxes covering the coffee table and some cop show playing on the TV. Kurt takes a seat on the floor but doesn't take any of the food. So, she drops a box of noodles and a pair of chopsticks in his lap. "Eat." She commands.

He does thoughtlessly, swallowing without chewing for the most part. The noodles are slimy and vile on his tongue. Each bite makes him want to hurl. He takes half the box into his uneasy stomach before he can't eat anymore.

Before he can crawl back to the bed he's been provided, Laurette has some instructions to give him. "You'll only be staying here tonight and tomorrow. So, don't bother bringing all your things up from your car. You can just grab some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow. And bring them up to your room."

"Where am I going after tomorrow?" he asks.

"School." She says in a 'duh' voice.

He's confused by that. He knows they found him a school out here earlier this week and he was going to start on Monday. "On Saturday?" He asks.

"Yes." she says in the same voice, treating him like he's stupid for not knowing. "You're going to be attending Dalton Academy over in Westerville. It's a boarding school so you'll stay there all week. You can come back here on weekends sometimes, with permission. Otherwise you'll stay there."

Kurt's heart stops then restarts at a faster pace. He wasn't actually living with them? If he was capable of feeling happy, he would think he is. Instead all he's capable of expressing is a subtle sigh of relief.

Kurt gets a what he needs from his bags. He hides the rest of the night in his 'room'. Which they don't seem to mind. Curled up in another flannel shirt and his boxers. He doesn't sleep much. Laying completely still under a light blanket. Tears leak from his eyes silently as he contemplates what tomorrow will bring. He manages maybe a few restless hours of numbness that is not quite true sleep.

Both of them are working in the office on Friday. Requiring Kurt to be quiet. He can't watch anything on their tv, he can't sing or listen to music. All his friends are in school so he can't call or visit them, not that his guardians will let him leave the apartment. Silence permits him to think.

Thinking is the last thing he wants to do. He doesn't want to think; to face what's happened. He knows the stages of grief, has lived them before. This time isn't the same. Because he's knows this time, that denial is pointless. That his dad is gone; and he is never coming back. There's nothing Kurt can do about it. And he doesn't want to accept that; It's not fair. So that leaves him with depression. A filling emptiness that he doesn't know how to fix.

He tries reading his magazines; the shoes and scarves for once have no captivating power over his attention. His Copy of Patti Lupone's new book is pointless too; he forgets the words five seconds after he reads them. He leaves the tiny room to sit in the sunlight of the kitchen and opens his sketchbook. There are no ideas in him; none of the dozens that were previously swimming around his head. He can't even finish the Queercore design he'd been working on nine days ago.

His acting guardians eventually leave the office. Kurt's resting his head on his closed sketchbook, having given up completely on trying to find anything that will bring him the smallest morsel of pleasure.

Laurette comes into the kitchen with a, "Good afternoon" sent his way.

He doesn't say anything. She clears her throat with an expectant look. "Uh, Good afternoon." He says though he can't find anything good about it.

She turns away appeased. She riffles through the pantry and fridge to make lunch. "I didn't know you draw." She attempts to start up a conversation. "What are you working on?"

"Nothing." He admits sadly.

"Oh. Little one. It's alright. I know your sad, but your daddy is in a better place now." She pushes a sandwich, she's just finished making, in front of him. "Eat up."

He feels worse after she says that. It' a nice thought, that his parents have been reunited in some eternal paradise. But he doesn't believe in Heaven. Even if he did, he doesn't want them to be there. He'd much rather have them here, and is sure they would agree. Wouldn't they be at least as happy here with him as they would be there? Would they not feel bad about leaving him here like this? If any of it is true.

He doesn't eat the sandwich, but it's useful for soaking up the tears that fall out as he is hunches over the counter top. Trying to rid himself of the false hope of feeling that the sadness gives him.

A heavy weight pounds on his back, not aggressively. "Come on, Kid, don't be a girl. Crying is for the weak. Be strong. Life's going to get better for you too now. The private school you'll go to has much better academics than that filthy public place you used to attend. You will have more opportunities to do things than your dad could have ever given you." Vincent says.

Laurette gives him a sandwich as well. Kurt gives him a hurt look. How could he say such things? He cries harder. He gets out of the chair but Vincent stops his by grabbing his arm and pushing back onto the stool. "Let go." Kurt whispers.

Vincent does. "Your aunt told you to eat. So, eat."

"No. I don't want to." Vincent keeps Kurt from getting up again.

"Do as you are told." The large man says.

Kurt refuses again. He turns to escape the other way from the stool. Laurette moves in the way of him there. "Enough of this now. Seriously. Stop crying and eat." Laurette says ornery.

"No! I don't want to eat anything." Kurt pushes her out of the way and takes off towards his room.

Vincent grabs the back of his jacket and pulls him back. "You do not speak to her that way! She is your guardian and you will treat her with respect. And don't you ever, ever push her!" Vincent glares hard into Kurt's eyes.

The two men wrestle; Kurt trying to pull away and Vincent holding him tight in anger. "Let go! Leave me alone!" Kurt yells.

"Apologize to your aunt." Vincent demands.

"No!"

Vincent strikes faster than Kurt can react, and there's no Finn to save him this time, the grown man's hand strikes across Kurt's face hard. Causing Kurt to stumble back and cradle his cheek. Kurt's jaw throbs and he looks at the man in fear. Vincent is now on his feet, towering over Kurt's much smaller frame. "How dare you behave this way? I do not care what you are going through; you cannot treat people like this. Especially us, who have welcomed you into our home and provided you with all you need. We have done nothing to you to deserve this!"

"You hit me." He says quietly. Partly as a response to Vincent's statement and partly in disbelief. Kurt didn't think Vincent would try to hit him again after the loss of complete custody last time. But he did and it stings like a bee.

"You will get so much worse than one light smack to the face if you don't learn your place, Brat." He threatens. That was a light smack? "If you don't want to eat so bad then you won't get any. No lunch; no dinner. Go to you room for the rest of the day. Get out of my sight!"

Kurt wastes no time in dashing away. He closes the door to his room and slumps against it. He cries silently from the pain and fear. Why is he going through this? Is it not enough for him to lose his dad, his home and all his friends? He grabs his compact mirror from his backpack and checks out his face. It's bright red; he's unsure if it will bruise or not. He wastes no time in applying a moisturizer to it to help keep his skin from ugly markings. He doesn't dare venture out of the room again, not even to retrieve his sketchbook, out of fear of what Vincent will do to him.

He doesn't sleep much that night either. Instead spending the long hours hoping and, despite the fact that he doesn't believe in any god, praying to all those his friends worship that tomorrow will be better. Because he can't take any more of the hell he's being forced to live through. "Please." He asks of God, or fate, or the universe, or whatever. "Let this 'Dalton Academy' be better. Is that too much to ask?"


	6. Dalton Academy

_Another chapter! Kurt's at Dalton! We're done with his aunt and uncle for a while; they will be back in a few chapters. For now Kurt gets to meet new friends and adjust to school at Dalton. Warnings: Slash- boyxboy kisses in this chapter. Read and Review please. Enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

Dalton Academy is huge. Kurt is stunned by the sheer size, convinced he's going to get lost amongst all the different buildings. Getting out of his car Kurt only brings his school bag, leaving the others bags so he doesn't have to lug them around until he finds his dorm room. His aunt comes into the office building with him, Vincent waits in the car. Kurt is extremely grateful for that. Breakfast was hard enough to get through at the apartment. They enter the main office and are greeted by the receptionist there. "Hi, you must be Mrs. Cote and Kurt. Welcome to Dalton Academy. Headmaster Gooden is waiting for you in his office; just through that door. He'll help you."

They walk into the lavish office. Headmaster Gooden greets them cheerfully as they enter. He is a tall man in his fifties with greying hair. His build at first reminds Kurt of Vincent, broad and strong; but the light in his eyes is different, not as much of a glint but more of a sparkle. He is also quite good-looking for an older guy. His eyes are crinkled at the corners with smile lines. His handshake is firm yet not harsh. "Welcome to Dalton. Please have a seat." He says. "Alrighty then, Mrs. Cote I just need you to sign a few last papers and then we can get to the fun stuff."

He smiles big. Laurette doesn't seem amused. He pulls out some very official looking forms from a file marked 'Kurt Hummel'. He places them in front of her and shows her where to sign on each. She does so. When all the papers are signed he takes them back. "Thank you very much. Now, how does a tour of the school sound to you two? We'll get Kurt oriented and…"

"Actually, I don't have the time." Laurette says. "I need to be going but feel free to do what you want with Kurt."

Headmaster Gooden looks a bit startled by the interruption. "Are you sure? I'm sure Kurt would be more comfortable if you stayed while we get him settled."

"No, I have to go." She stands and makes for the door.

Headmaster Gooden again attempts to protest but Kurt cuts him off. "It's okay." He tells the headmaster. "Goodbye Aunt Laurette."

"Goodbye Kurt. I'll see you next time you visit the apartment. Be happy." She says.

She briskly walked out. Kurt breathes a sigh of relief when the door closes behind her. Upon turning back towards the headmaster, he sees the man giving a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Kurt can't even fake smile at him. "I'm fine."

Headmaster Gooden doesn't look convinced. "You know, we were informed about your family situation. I'll understand if you're not fine."

Kurt looks down. The heaviness in his heart had remained since his dad had died. It remains there now. He sniffs. Why'd this man who doesn't know hardly anything about him have to bring it up.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Headmaster Gooden says. "We're here if you need anything. We have an on-campus therapist if you ever want to talk about it or anything else." Kurt doesn't respond. "And if you don't want to talk about it; that's okay too. We can talk about your class schedule. Or I could take you on that tour. What do you want to do?"

Kurt certainly doesn't want to face any of his new classmates yet. Not with fresh tears in his eyes. He's already embarrassed enough. "My classes. Please." He says.

"Okay." He logs into his computer. "Let's see… based on the classes you took at your old school and your fantastic grade point average I think we'll put you in Physics, American literature, Calculus, European history, AP French, lifestyle management, and two more elective classes of your choice. That sound good?"

Kurt nods. "Yes sir."

"No need for the sir. You can call me Roy. Or Mr. Gooden, if you prefer to be formal."

"Okay Mr. Gooden."

"Okay. What electives would you be interested in?" Mr. Gooden asks

"Theatre, music- er- choir not instruments, um or design classes." Kurt says.

"You're real artsy then." Mr. Gooden says. "Well we have an open drawing class and a musical studies class open we can fit you in. That work?" Kurt nods. "It also says in here that you were a part of the show choir at McKinley High, The New Directions. Would you be interested in joining our show choir?"

Kurt didn't know the fancy private school had a show choir. He nods, music is the one thing he loves that still can make him feel a tiny bit better. "Yeah, sure."

Mr. Gooden grins at Kurt. "I'll get an audition set up for you with the Warbler's council. Sometime this week." Kurt remains expressionless, not even a lip quirk. Mr. Gooden notices and changes the subject. "Now, how about that tour?"

"This is the administration building. With my office. As well as the housing, the financial aid, the course counselling and the campus security offices. The nurse's office is through this hall. The school therapist is around that corner. And the mail room is in the back.

"The building to the south of the administration building is the library. Directly behind the administration building to the south-east is the classroom building. The wing closest is the language arts and foreign language departments. The wing just to the east of that is the math and science departments. The other side of the language wing is the social and professional studies wing. Politics, governments, law, history and business classes are taught there. Beyond that, the south-east side of the classroom building is the arts wing. All the classes you seem to like and our auditorium. It also holds the warbler's rehearsal hall. In the middle of the building is a big courtyard we call 'The Square'. We use it for school events and for day to day activities."

To the east of the classroom building lies another building, unlike the others this one is only a single-story building. There are lots of window and Kurt can see some boys sitting inside. "This is the Cafeteria. It's open 6am to 10pm every day. You can go in any time between those hours with your student ID." They had picked that up when leaving the administration building. "To the north of us is the fields for the different sports and the gymnasium. Lastly, we have the two dorm buildings. The Dewy Dorms to the north and the Woodsworth Dorms to the south. There's no distinction between them. Room assignments are pretty random so no one group is located wholly in either building. You'll be living in the Woodsworth building. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Kurt admires the extravagant décor of the building. The style is exquisite. The building is three stories with 25 two-person rooms on each level. There are a few boys dallying around the halls. Some of them stop whatever they're doing and watch the headmaster escort the new kid in. Kurt can feel their eyes on him. He and Mr. Gooden pass by a couple coming out of one of the rooms; a Hispanic boy and a tall boy with a faux-hawk. They too look at Kurt in curiosity. He meets their gazes and they say "Hi" to him. He politely returns them with a "hello" of his own. Mr. Gooden looks back to see who Kurt is talking to and stops. "Oh. Hello Thad, Richard. This is our new student Kurt." He says. "Thad. I'm going to need to speak to you, Wes and David as soon as possible."

The Hispanic kid, Thad nods. "Okay. But Wes went home for the weekend."

"Monday morning then? Before classes."

"I'll tell them." Thad says. "It was good to meet you Kurt."

"You too." Kurt says.

Thad and Richard walk away. Mr. Gooden leads Kurt on to his dorm room. It's on the top level: Room 313. He pulls a key out of his pocket with a tag attached that is engraved with Kurt's name. "This is your room key. Don't lose it." Kurt nods and takes the offered key. "The door is probably unlocked if your roommate is inside. His name is Nick and he's a good guy. I think you'll get along. Are you ready to meet him?"

Kurt says yes, even though he's unsure. Mr. Gooden opens the door, which is unlocked and the two of them walk in to find something Kurt had most definitely not been expecting. Half the room is bare, which Kurt assumes is his side, and the other is covered in stuff, clearly belonging to his roommate. But, what is surprising is that on his roommate's bed there are two boys lying together; making out. A brunette-haired boy is laying on top of a blonde boy. The blonde has no shirt on and is clutching the back of the opened dress shirt of the brunette on top of him; their naked chests pressed together. Their tongues are shoved in each other's throats as they moan wantonly. Kurt takes this all in in the two seconds before Mr. Gooden begins reprimanding the boys. "Misters Duval and Sterling, would you kindly quit eating each other's faces."

The two boys startle and upon seeing the headmaster in the room sit up and separate a little. The brunette buttons his shirt up while the blonde searches frantically for his own. "Hey Roy." The brunette greets.

"Nickolas. Need I remind you that this kind of thing is the reason Jeffery was moved out of the room?"

"No, you needn't. But we're not breaking any rules. He's allowed here in the day just not after curfew. We're in my room, not a public place. It's totally allowed." Nick says with a smug smile.

"Yes. But, this isn't a private room. And as I told you yesterday, your roommate is coming today." Nick finally looks towards where Kurt is standing in the doorway. "And you can't do anything in this room without his okay while he's here."

"Well he wasn't here yet. And we stopped as soon as he got here. So, suck it Roy." Nick says.

Mr. Gooden ignores his comment. "Nick this is Kurt, your new roommate." He pulls the stunned boy fully into the room.

Nick smiles at Kurt. "Hi. I'm Nick. And this gorgeous boy who can't seem to find his shirt is my boyfriend, Jeff."

The blonde pops his head from underneath the bed, where he's searching for his shirt, at the sound of his name. "Um. Hi." He blushes.

"You're gay?" Kurt asks.

Nick's walls immediately go up. Mr. Gooden also looks a little concerned. Maybe they are worried he's a homophobe. Jeff just smiles big. "Completely."

"You have a problem with that?" Nick asks, pulling his boyfriend onto the bed with him.

"No." Kurt says. "I'm gay too."

Nick drops the defensive and asks, "Really?"

Kurt nods, Isn't it obvious? "Nicky, babe, look at his clothes. No straight guy has that good of a sense of fashion." Jeff says.

Kurt had gone with a more casual comfortable outfit today. Instinctually dressing to impress while also picking something that he could curl up on a bed or couch in. A grey button up shirt with a dark sweater, black skinny jeans and his clockwork bowtie. Nick shakes his hand. Mr. Gooden backs out of the room, leaving the boys to themselves.

"Can I help bring your stuff up?" Nick asks Kurt.

Kurt hesitates. "Sure." Nick seems nice enough; Kurt can handle living with him.

Jeff makes to come out with them too, until Nick reminds his boyfriend that he still doesn't have a shirt on. Jeff blushing pulls a spare shirt of Nick's from his wardrobe. They walk all the way out to the front parking lot with him to get his car and rode with him to the back parking for students, next to the dorms. They chat at him all the while; telling him about themselves.

Kurt learns that Nick is an entrepreneur; his dad owns a multimillion dollar company and Nick wants to take it over one day. Nicks has a more muted personality. He's calm and collected while Jeff is just the opposite. Jeff is bright and extroverted. The entire time they are bringing Kurt's bags up to the dorm room he doesn't stop talking. But he seems to be a really sweet guy.

Once they're back in the room Kurt sets to unpacking by himself, at his own insistence; no one else was touching his clothes! Nick and Jeff curl up on Nick's bed and keep up a conversation with Kurt. He grateful for the distractions. "You have a lot of clothes." Jeff observes. "How do you wear them all? How often do you have to do laundry? Cause that many clothes would last me like forever between washes."

"Um. I do my laundry every week, whatever I wear, but I don't wear everything all in one week. Especially not here with this stupid uniform." Kurt says emotionlessly.

"The uniform isn't that bad." Nick says. "It's classy."

"It's well designed and pretty okay for a uniform. But I hate wearing the same outfit twice. I prefer to create new ensembles every day. Uniforms are horrible conformities that restrict expression." Kurt says.

Nick and Jeff laugh at this. "You're sorta right. They try to make us equal by making us all wear the same thing but some of us pull it off way better than others." Jeff says.

"Right, like Jeff. Jeff looks sexy in the uniform." Nick says. Then tacks on a whisper in Jeff's ear, that Kurt is probably not supposed to hear. "But he looks so much better without it on."

Jeff shoves his boyfriend away with a blushing smile. Kurt turns tomato red and busies himself with finishing organizing the wardrobe now full of his clothes; while the other two share flirty comments and kisses. By the time they separate their lips again Kurt has moved on to his second suitcase. He's pinning up pictures of his friends on the pin board. They look up at him like they had forgotten he was there. "You are okay with us kissing in here right, Kurt?" Nick asks.

Kurt raises his eyebrow at him. "I don't think you actually care about my approval but yes. It's fine. Whatever. I'll just sit here while you make out. But, swear to me you'll never do it on my bed, and you won't get too steamy while I'm in the room."

"Of course. Never man, we promise." Nick says. "Who are these guys? Anyone special?"

"Not like that. I've never met any other gay guys before. These are my friends." Kurt says.

"What about that guy?" Nick points to a picture of Finn and Kurt with their arms around each other. "You two seem pretty close."

"That's Finn. He's my brother." At least he would've been. Kurt doesn't want them see the hurt he's feeling.

"Definitely not romantic then." Jeff jokes.

Kurt doesn't laugh, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to again. He keeps pulling out pictures from his bag. A few are in frames: the last one ever taken of him and his dad, taken by Carole at a fair this past summer; and one from when he was seven, before his mom got sick, the three of them playing together on a beach somewhere. The memories are now more bitter than sweet. He clutches the photos in his hands with a deep frown on his face and a pounding heart in his chest.

Nick and Jeff can obviously see the frown on his face now. Nick speaks softly asking, "We're going to go to lunch soon. Do you want to come with us?"

Kurt shakes his head. "No thanks." And places the two pictures on his desk. Returning to unpacking his bag; refusing to cry until they've left the room.


	7. Prep-school boys

_Another chapter! Who's ready for Blaine? Me too. It will still be at least a few chapters before Klaine comes in as anything more than casual friends. Kurt's in a fragile place and isn't looking for a boyfriend yet. But, soulmates will always win out over anything else._

 _I love the reviews I've been getting. Keep them coming._

 _Disclaimer: don't own any of the people or places just the story line_.

Enjoy!

Kurt's dry eyed and finished setting up his side of the room when Nick and Jeff come back to the room. Based on the fact that it's been just less than two hours since they left, and the new hickey visible on Jeff's collar bone, Kurt assumes they did more than just have lunch while they were gone. He decides to call them out on this, for his sake and theirs, in the politest way he can. "Need some concealer Jeff?"

Jeff and Nick both blush brightly while Kurt offers them the tube of makeup. "Dang it! I thought this shirt covered it." Jeff mutters. Kurt helps him cover it properly. "Sorry. We were…"

"I don't want to know what happened." Kurt stops the taller boy.

"Right." Jeff blushes. "Well, your room looks nice."

"Thanks."

"Do you want to do something with us this afternoon?" Nick asks. "I've got some games. Or we could watch a movie."

"You have a TV?" Kurt asks. Watching TV at home had been a good distraction.

"In the lounge. Or my laptop." Nick says.

"Lounge?" Kurt shakes his head in question.

"Yeah. Didn't Roy show you? It's downstairs. The second floor has a lounge and kitchen in place of six bedrooms in the center of the building. C'mon come check it out."

Kurt allows himself to be led to the lounge by his roommate. It is nice. Plush chairs and couches and tables are scattered through the room; a TV with a Blu-ray player and some video game consul Finn would know the name of are on one wall; a full bookshelf is on the other; and the wall, opposite the door Kurt, Nick, and Jeff had entered, is the kitchen. Kurt takes a mental note to check that out later. There are a few boys playing a card game on one table and a couple reading books in their own chairs. They all glance up when the three of them enter, they cast their glances back down just as quickly but come back for a double take when they realize they don't recognize Kurt.

Nick and Jeff ignore the stares and pull Kurt to the TV. "We can watch any movie rated PG-13 or lower." Jeff rambles on explaining. "Do you want to watch something?"

"Yeah."

The settle on watching the Princess Bride, to satisfy the romantic in Kurt and Jeff's desire for action. A few other boys join them throughout the film and after: some of Nick and Jeff's friends, who introduce themselves to Kurt. He does his best but can't keep their names straight; Cameron, Flint, David and Richard. The names get muddled in his tired mind.

After the movie all the guys want Kurt to play games with them. They keep tossing out ideas. most of them are outrageous, weird, or embarrassing; like truth or dare, spin the bottle, and strip poker; Puck would love these guys. Kurt sits there feeling uncomfortable at the suggestions the boys bombard him with. Nick intervenes on his roommate's behalf. "Hey guys, shut up. How about we play something that isn't going to freak him out and make him think we all belong in an asylum?"

"We could play 'Would You Rather'." Kurt is pretty sure the boy who speaks is named Flint.

Nick agrees that it is tame enough and they decide to play it. "Okay Flint you start."

"Okay. Cameron, would you rather always wear pants that are two sizes too small or shirts that are two sizes too small?"

"Shirts. So, I can show off my pecs and abs and not crush my junk." Laughter rings through the room. "Jeff, would you rather have your hair dyed permanently green or make out with a girl?" Cameron asks.

"Um, what girl?"

"The most horribly feminine, opposite to Nick girl with huge boobs."

Jeff's nose wrinkles and his lips purse. "The hair. As long as Nicky still loved me with green hair."

"I love you no matter what your hair looks like, baby." The two boys kiss sweetly.

"Moving on." Someone says.

"Nicky. Would you rather marry me or be a millionaire?"

"I don't care how much money I have as long as I'm with you." Nick says.

The rest of the boys gag as the couple kisses again. "Good answer." Jeff says.

The game continues on with random questions. Kurt can't find it in himself to enjoy it. He feels a bit on the outside as the others can personalize their questions to torture each other and can't do the same for him. Not that he needs to be put through anymore torture. "Kurt would you rather go back in time to some other point in your life or go forward in time to your future?"

"Back in time." Kurt says with no doubt. Two weeks ago, his answer would have been different. "Um Richard? Would you rather go bald or never cut your hair again?"

"Um. I don't know do you guys think I cold rock Rapunzel hair?" Richards asks.

The group laughs but have mixed answers. Some are very "Yeah totally" and others are "No, never".

"Um I think I'd rather be bald, I'd just have to find some awesome hats to wear." Richard says. "Okay David, would you rather get wacked in the head repeatedly by Wes' gavel or never kiss a girl again?"

David's face pales and his eyes go wide. "You are a terrible person, Richard. Um…um… how many hits exactly?"

"Four strikes from the gavel. Or no kissing girls ever again." Richard says.

David looks horribly conflicted. It makes Kurt wonder who Wes is and what's up with his gavel. "Ooo. That's harsh." A dreamy voice speaks from the doorway. "But I suggest never kissing girls again. Don't know why you'd want to in the first place. And you still have Wes to make out with."

"Blaine!" All the boys except for David and Kurt cheer. Kurt because he doesn't know him. And David is instead protesting that he doesn't make out with Wes.

Kurt looks up at the incoming boy. He's really cute. Flawlessly tanned skin, adorable small ears, two moist rosy lips and a perfect row of snowy pearls, handsome bone structure, and glistening golden brown orbs, topped with a suave swoop of over-gelled curls. And if Kurt was his old self, he'd be chasing after this boy in no time. But, he isn't his old self. So that has to remain a 'maybe one day', in the distant future, when the pain has dulled and he can feel good things again.

"I thought you were spending the entire weekend at home." Jeff says.

"I was going to." Blaine takes a seat in the circle. "But my dad decided it was a good day for insulting my sexuality and I wasn't going to put up with that so Mom brought me back."

Most the guys murmur in understanding. Kurt just stares at the boy. "How many of you here are gay?" he asks.

Nick and Jeff laugh. "There's quite a few of us." Nick says.

Blaine leans over the circle and offers a hand. "Hi, I'm Blaine."

"Kurt." He accepts the handshake.

Blaine smells faintly of raspberry and coffee. It's intoxicating. So much so that Kurt misses what Blaine asks him. Fortunately, Nick saves him from embarrassment by answering it. "Yeah, he moved into my room today."

"Cool. I'm Jeff's roommate. We're over in Dewy." Blaine says to Kurt. "And you have an awesome bowtie."

Kurt has to look down to remember which one he is wearing. "Thanks"

"Seriously, where did you get that? I want one." Blaine says.

The other boys scoff. "Blaine, we need to host an intervention for your bowtie obsession." David says.

Blaine gives his friends a pouty glare. Kurt is finding this group stranger by the second. But, really who is he to judge, he came from the New Directions. Oh, he misses them so much. "It was a gift from my best friend. I don't know where she got it." Kurt says in response to Blaine's question.

"Weren't we playing would you rather?" Cameron asks.

Richard jumps on the chance to get away from the direction the current subject is going. "Yes. What is your answer David?"

"Ugh. I choose the gavel." David says. "Blaine, would you rather give up the hair gel or never sing again?"

Blaine looks affronted. "You deserve to be hit with the gavel." He says. "I can't live without singing. But forsaking the gel will probably kill everyone else." The boys roll their eyes and laugh. Blaine glares at them. "I choose the gel, you can all die for laughing at me." they just keep laughing. "Hey new kid, Kurt, since you asked about our sexualities. Would you rather kiss a boy or a girl?"

Kurt blushes. "A boy. I'm gay too."

"Good to know." Blaine smirks back.

Kurt's cheeks are still very pink. Is this guy flirting with him? "Nick, would you rather…" they played a few more rounds until the hourly bell rang from the Dalton clock towers signaling that it is six o'clock.

The group goes to dinner. Kurt isn't really hungry despite the fact that he's only eaten breakfast both of the past two days. Still, he gets dragged along and they help him find his way around the cafeteria. He only eats a little. They meet up with some other boys there, including that 'Thad' whom Kurt had met in the dorm. Kurt lets them do most of the talking, only commenting when asked a direct question.

After dinner the group, which has swelled in numbers, decides to return to the lounge. Save Kurt, he sneaks back to his dorm room. They're nice and he's sure they'd make great friends but he can't handle any more people tonight. No one notices him leave, his fairly certain of that.

He sits in the adjoined bathroom to the dorm and for the first time in days is able to do his full moisturizing routine. He knows that he's not been sleeping enough and that he is super stressed out. Both of those things are terrible for his skin. Washing out his pores feels great. And the routine calms down the anxiety he's had in the chaotic changes he's suffered through. He changes for bed and crawls under the covers.

Soft and very comfortable as the bed is, Kurt again is unable to sleep. He lays curled up tight on the bed. Nick comes in a while later. "Kurt?" He calls quietly. "You awake?"

Kurt shift to look at him and makes a small noise of acknowledgement.

"You alright? I know it got really crazy and maybe you aren't used to that. The guys are just excitable. And everyone felt bad when you disappeared after dinner. We didn't mean to freak you out."

Kurt faces him and feels a little bad for upsetting him. "No, it wasn't you guys. I'm used to crazy. My friends back home are worse than you. I'm just tired. It has been a long day."

"Really? That's good. Cause we thought maybe you didn't like us. You didn't seem to be having much. You seemed kinda sad or something." Nick says.

"I'm fine." Kurt has said that so many times lately that it has become his reflex response. He didn't want to explain to anyone his thoughts and feelings. "It's just a big change and I'll need some time to adjust to everything."

"Yeah I get that. But, it seemed like more."

"There's nothing. I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. And I won't pry but I want you to know that you can talk to me if you need to. We live together now so we should be friends and trust each other."

Kurt doesn't deny again that there is something else wrong. He doesn't say anything. He rolls over on the bed, facing away from the rest of the room; more specifically his roommate. The silence is heavy and maybe a bit awkward, Kurt can't guess what Nick is thinking about it. He doesn't care. Both of them just lay on their respective beds. With a distance of not only space, but communication as well, between them that Kurt is more than fine with.


	8. First day

_Another chapter. Sorry I'm late. Yesterday was a busy day for me. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Leave a review._

 _FYI: I might not be updating for the next two weeks. I'm traveling for Christmas and may not be able to upload the next chapters. But after the new year I will be back._

 _Merry Christmas!_

 _Happy Holidays!_

 _Disclaimer: i don't own Glee_

The uniform really isn't awful. It's not uncomfortable or hideous. And, at least he can accessorize it, to a point. But after adjusting his tie and slipping on the blazer Kurt becomes immediately certain that he is not one of the people who looks sexy in it.

Which is just one of the things that are causing him anxiety this morning. It's his first day of classes. Transferring in at this point in the year he has to play catch up as well as keep on top of the continuing curriculum, which is much more advanced than McKinley's. He only has a general idea of where each of his classrooms are. He knows very few people here and understands that he can't just follow Blaine or Nick or Jeff around all day as none of them will be in all his classes. And he needs to pick a perfect song for his audition into the glee club, _the Warblers?_ that will be happening sometime in the next few days.

"Hey Kurt, you ready to go down to breakfast?" Nick asks him.

Kurt is still standing at the mirror, unsure what he can do to improve his appearance more. His skin was fine, his hair looked great, his uniform wrinkle-free, and he'd added a zebra head brooch to the lapel; but it didn't seem right. It was not enough of his own style. "Yeah, sure." He says.

The two of them pick up their backpacks and make their way down to the cafeteria, where they meet a handful of those other boys. "Hey guys. Hi Kurt! You ready for your first day?" Blaine asks as he falls in step with them.

Kurt is surprised at being so directly spoken to by this stranger. "Yeah, I guess." Kurt says, his voice betrays his nerves.

"It'll be alright, Kurt." Blaine says. "If you need anything you can just ask. No one is going to refuse to help, especially not me. You can text me anytime, no matter what I'm doing, I'll respond. I promise. Okay?"

His smile is encouraging. "Uh…Thanks, Blaine."

Blaine nudges Kurt's shoulder with his own. "Just have a little courage."

Breakfast is a full of conversation. Blaine sits next to Kurt and they discuss his schedule. Blaine recruits the help of the other boys to help Kurt to get to each of his classes. He doesn't share many with most of them because Flint and Luke are the only other juniors at the table. They agree to help him around to the junior level classes. Thad and David are also juniors but are nowhere to be found that morning. Richard explains that they are in a meeting with Headmaster Gooden and this 'Wes' Kurt has heard about, whoever that is.

Flint leads Kurt to his American Literature class. As they walk out of the cafeteria Kurt's phone buzzes with an incoming text. It reads, 'Courage -Blaine'. Kurt looks over his shoulder, across the room to where Blaine is. The sophomore smiles and gives him two thumbs up. Kurt goes to his class wondering where Blaine had gotten his number, he'd given it to no one here except Nick, out of necessity as roommates.

American Literature is alright, he anticipated being behind and needing to catch up. The class is in the middle of a book called _Their eyes were watching God._ Kurt would need to read the first half quickly, to keep up with the others. The work packet given to him by the teacher is also only a few pages long. Kurt is sure he can get this all done in the next few days.

That is until he gets the catch-up work for Calculus, which is his next class. It is far more advanced than the class at McKinley. His mind is swirling in a confusion of exponential and logarithmic functions before he even opens the text book. The teacher gives him a short quiz to judge where his level is on what they've learned already. When it becomes apparent he's quite far behind he gives Kurt a big packet to help him catch up. The sheer size of it intimidates him.

He's relived to get to Drawing. It's enjoyable despite the fact that he only really draws clothes and they are working on landscapes. His teacher is impressed with his mastery of the human figure when he shows them some of his previous work. And he doesn't have to make up work for this class.

Lifestyle Management is basically a fancy name for a gym and health class in one. Kurt doesn't much like gym classes. He prefers to work out in his bedroom. He'll survive it though, Richard and Flint are in this class with him, they're friendly to him. In the class, they run laps and play basketball. By the end Kurt feels gross and tired. The coach stops him from going to the showers with the other boys to give him the health textbook and the work he must do with it. By the time he gets into the locker room, all the showers are full and he has to wait until he can get into one. He is annoyed that he doesn't have any of his own soap and is forced to use the communal bar that sits in the shower. There's no shampoo or conditioner either. When he gets out, after the lunch bell has rung, he doesn't feel much cleaner. He loathes to dry off with the school provided towels and that he has to spend some of his lunch hour redoing his hair, fortunately he does carry a small bottle of hairspray everywhere.

When he gets to lunch the cafeteria is packed and the lines are long. The place is crowded and he can't spot any of the boys he knows. Any confidence he had had this morning is long gone.

He gets himself a turkey veggie wrap and an orange juice. He searches the room frantically for a seat. There are none where he can sit alone. He spots one, in the middle of a crowded table but it's one of the only ones he can see. He makes his way that direction, but someone else sits in it. This happens three more times before Kurt begins to get really frustrated. He's just wandering through the tables now. Then, like a blessing from on high, Blaine suddenly appears in front of him. "There you are." Blaine says. "C'mon we're sitting on the other side."

"The other side?" Kurt asks.

Blaine takes Kurt right hand in his own and tugs him after him. Sure enough, on the opposite side of the seating area there is a corner and another section of tables that are unseen from the serving area. It's less crowded back here, not by a lot, but there are a few empty seats on every table. Blaine lead Kurt to where his friends are sitting. Kurt doesn't know half of them yet and can't remember most of the other half's names.

Blaine takes his seat back and Kurt sits next to him. With all these boys here, it seems odd that this specific seat would be empty and he wonders if Blaine saved it specially for him. The group is talking loudly with many conversations going at once. Kurt looks around at all of them as he nibbles his lunch. Nick and Jeff are a few seats down holding hands across the table. Richard is down on the other end. There's Flint and Cameron that he recognizes. David and Thad are having a hushed discussion with an Asian guy on the near end of the table to Kurt. There are eight other boys there he doesn't recognize; one has a huge afro, another bright obviously-fake blonde hair, and one has a goatee, the rest are rather unremarkable. The only one Kurt gets introduced to is Trent. He's a very kind looking slightly chubby boy sitting on the other side of Blaine, apparently the two of them go 'way back'.

"How's your first day been?" Trent asks.

Kurt sighs dramatically. "Crazy. Really busy; a little overwhelming. I've got so much homework."

"Sorry to say that's a fact of life." Trent says. "So much homework all the time. But it gets easier."

They keep him looped in conversation until the bells rings overhead. And the boys split to all their own classes. "You have music next right?" Blaine asks.

"Yeah. With Ms. Nicole. Do you know where I'm supposed to go for that?" Kurt says.

"Have no fear! I'm in that class. Follow me!" Blaine loops his arm through Kurt's and leads him through the campus and the art wing to the class. Kurt finds he doesn't mind having the enthusiastic Blaine in the class with him. He finds he really likes the sound of Blaine's singing voice. It's warm and smooth and soothing.

Blaine keeps Kurt entertained throughout the entire period and helps him to keep up. When the 45-minute class is over they regrettably have to separate. Blaine gives him a half hug and a wish of good luck.

Kurt really needs that luck in his next class because he's got a ton to do for his European History class. He's sure this class will require a ton of studying. His backpack is stuffed and heavy; and he still has two more classes.

Physics is okay. David is assigned to be his lab partner and tutor, to help him with the boatload of work he also receives for this class.

Kurt grateful for the last class of the day. Both for it being the last and that it is French. AP or not, he's practically fluent. So, for once today he feels ahead of the curve rather than far, far behind it.

Kurt knows that after class a bunch of the school's team and clubs meet. Since Kurt isn't any of them yet he sits alone in his room making his way through his mountain of work.

He's just about finished with his French homework when a knock comes on his door. He opens to find Mr. Gooden there. "Good afternoon Kurt. How's your first day been?"

"It's been alright. Am I in trouble?" Why else would the Headmaster pay him a visit?

"No. No. Don't worry. I'm just here to give you your formal invitation to audition for the Warblers." He hands Kurt a red and navy embroidered card with the time and place of his audition. 3:00 pm. Tuesday October 19. The Warblers rehearsal hall.

Tomorrow!?


	9. Warblers

_Hey! I'm back. How was everyone's holidays? Mine were awesome._

 _I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's short, mostly filler because I wanted Kurt to sing this song for his audition. Nonetheless I hope you all enjoy it. The arrangement of 'Royals' in here is from the Florida State University's acapella group, The 'Acabelles'. Their video is on youtube and I thought it sounded awesome and wanted the warblers to sing it._

 _Review please! I love feedback._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own the Warblers, sadly. Nor do I own 'So Far Away' or 'Royals'. They all have their respective owners._

Tuesday afternoon just before 3:00 finds Kurt outside the Warbler's Hall. Beyond, the thick oak door in front of him all the Warblers are gathered and in a few minutes Kurt is going to be called in for his audition. He's alone in the antechamber to the Warbler hall right now and his nerves are beginning to get the better of him. He isn't worried about the song, he knows he'll kill it. It's just, he doesn't know anyone in there. He wants these boys to be his friends. What if they don't like him? What if they're mean to him? No Bullying policy or not, people can be judgmental. Is it too late to just run away?

Yes. The great oak doors swing inward and Blaine's smiling face is there to greet him. "Hey. We're ready for y- Kurt!? Um, Hi! We're ready for your audition." He gestures for Kurt to enter. As Kurt passes by the other boy, Blaine whispers a quick, "Break a leg.", for only Kurt to hear.

It makes Kurt feel better and he dares to look around the room. Couches, cushioned chairs and table litter the room like any other study room on campus. In one corner there's a golden birdcage. The Warblers themselves, Kurt has already met most of, to his surprise. It's Nick's group of friends. Nick himself is seated with Jeff on a chair and they look as surprised to see him there as he is to see them. "You didn't tell us it was Kurt auditioning." Nick says.

It's seems directed at the three boys, David, Thad and an Asian boy, seated at a table at the head of the room. The Asian responds with, "It is standard procedure to keep the identity of the auditioner anonymous until the audition for the purpose of judging them solely on their singing ability. Please do not interrupt Warbler Nick. Mr. Hummel please go ahead with your song."

Kurt nods and hands one of the Warblers the CD with his backing track to put into the boombox. As the first few notes play through the room he looks around at the curious and excited faces of the Warblers.

 _"So far away_

 _Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

 _It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

 _Doesn't help to know_

 _you're just time away._

 _Long ago I reached for you and_

 _there you stood._

 _Holding you again could only do me good._

 _How I wish I could_

 _But you're so far away._

 _One more song about moving along the highway_

 _can't say much of anything that's new._

 _If I could only work this life out my way_

 _I'd rather spend it being close to you._

 _But, you're so far away_

 _Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

 _It would be so fine to see your face at my door._

 _Doesn't help to know_

 _You're so far away._

 _Yeah!_

 _You're so far away._

 _Traveling around so gets me down and lonely._

 _Nothing else to do but close my mind._

 _I sure hope the road don't come to own me._

 _There's so many dreams_

 _I'm yet to find._

 _So far away,_

 _Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

 _It would be so fine to see your face at my door._

 _Doesn't help to know_

 _You're so far away_

 _Yeah!_

 _You're so far away_

 _Yeah!_

 _You're so far away."_

Kurt tears up in the performance and upon opening his eyes is surprised to find the Warblers have as well. Their eyes are wide and watery. Their mouths either open in awe or clenched tight holding back sobs. Kurt thinks he did well, but their reactions are confusing. Blaine is the first to begin clapping and he sets off the thunderous applause around the room.

Suddenly, the Asian boy from the front table is in front of him with his hands on Kurt's shoulders. "You're a countertenor?"

He stares a little frightened at the guy. And tries to escape the death grip the guy has on him. "Um…yes."

Nick and David rush to his rescue. "Wes, back off." Nick says.

They pry Wes off Kurt and separate them. Wes whines at them. "B-but...those high notes. Think of what we could do! The arrangements!"

Kurt raises an eyebrow. "You like my high notes? I picked that song because the highest was only a high C. I can go higher."

"High-er?" Wes squeaks. Then he breathes calmly. "How high exactly?"

"I can hit high F. Potentially a high G." Kurt says.

Wes looks as if his brain is temporarily broken, light chatter fills the room as the others discuss and question 'how high exactly is that?' and 'How can he hit that?' TAP-TAP-TAP sounds from the front table. Wes whirls around to glare at Thad holding the gavel. Thad quickly puts the gavel down and says. "Warblers, lets return to the matter at hand."

"Right." David says. "Kurt if you would take a step outside while we discuss and vote on your audition. We'll let you know our verdict in a few minutes."

Once outside Kurt presses his ear to the door. He struggles to hear more than faint murmurs through the door for about two minutes before he gives up. Frustratingly, it's too solid for him to hear if he was to be accepted or not. He paces up and down the corridor, growing more anxious as the seconds wear on.

He's got to get in. He needs to! If he doesn't he'll… he'll… he doesn't even know what he'll do. If he gets rejected, he might just die. He won't have any reason to go from day to day.

Kurt knows he's out there for less than ten minutes but in his mind, it feels like forever. Finally, the doors open again. Blaine is beaming at him and invites him back inside while Wes announces. "Congratulations to our newest Warbler, Kurt Hummel." Kurt can hardly believe his ears. Everyone inside is clapping. "And now our oldest tradition for our newest Warbler. An actual warbler." Wes says.

Blaine draws Kurt's attention to the golden cage which is now sitting on a table in the middle of the group. "Kurt meet Pavarotti." He picks up the cage and approaches Kurt with it.

"This bird is a member of an unbroken line of canaries who have been at Dalton since 1891. It's your job to take care of him. Protect him. That bird is your voice." Wes says very seriously.

Kurt takes the cage and peers at the little yellow bird. Pavarotti flutters his wings and tweets at Kurt. Kurt thanks the Warblers and takes a seat on a couch between Blaine and Richard. He holds the canary cage on his lap carefully.

Jeff and Nick congratulate Kurt silently from their chair across the room. He receives some nods and welcoming smile from the other boys. He relaxes back into the couch. He is sure to listen attentively to his first warblers meeting.

Wes bangs the gavel and says. "Okay, gentlemen, Sectionals is in just over a month and we need to lock in our setlist. Thus far we have 'Hey Soul Sister', 'Royals', 'What Kind of Fool', and 'Teenage Dream' as contenders for our numbers. Any other nominations?"

No one speaks up. "Don't you have a director who picks the songs?" Kurt asks.

"No. We have the council, the three of them." Blaine points to the Wes, David and Thad at the table as he says this. "They are in charge of most decisions; but, everyone gets a say."

"Okay. That actually sounds like a much better system." The others laugh at Kurt's observation.

"Let's get to rehearsing. Shall we start with 'Royals'?" Thad asks.

The general consensus is yes, and adamant one from Richard. The faux-hawked boy starts beatboxing and the others snap to the beat. Blaine starts singing the first lines.

 _"I've never seen a diamond in the flesh_

 _I cut my teeth on wedding rings_

 _In the movies._

 _And I'm not proud of my address_

 _In a torn-up town_

 _No post code envy."_

Kurt is surprised by Blaine's forwardness in taking the lead until he realizes that is Blaine's spot in the song. The others start harmonizing and singing their parts.

 _"But every song's like_

 _Gold teeth, grey goose,_

 _trippin' in the bathroom_

 _Blood stains, ballgowns_

 _Trashin' the hotel room_

 _We don't care_

 _We're driving Cadillac's in our dreams_

 _But everybody's like_

 _Crystal, Maybach_

 _Diamonds on your timepiece_

 _Jet planes, Islands_

 _Tigers on a gold leash_

 _We don't care_

 _We aren't caught up in your love affair_

 _And we'll never be royals (royals)_

 _It's not in our blood_

 _That kind of Lux just ain't for us_

 _We crave a different kind of buzz_

 _Let me be your ruler (ruler)_

 _You can call me queen bee_

 _And baby I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _Let me live that fantasy."_

Kurt snaps along and hums with the tune quietly. They seem so well organized he doesn't know where to fit his voice in. Blaine, who's been moving about the room in some sort of choreography, comes to face Kurt and non-verbally encourage him to sing along with the others in the next part.

 _"My friends and I, we've cracked the code_

 _We count our dollars on the train_

 _To the party_

 _And everyone who knows us knows_

 _That we're fine with this_

 _We didn't come for money_

 _But every songs like_

 _Gold teeth, grey goose,_

 _trippin' in the bathroom_

 _Blood stains, ballgowns_

 _Trashin' the hotel room_

 _We don't care_

 _We're driving Cadillac's in our dreams_

But _everybody's like_

Crystal, _Maybach_

 _Diamonds on your timepiece_

 _Jet planes, Islands_

 _Tigers on a gold leash_

 _We don't care_

 _We're not caught up in your love affair_

 _And we'll never be royals (royals)_

 _It's not in our blood_

 _That kind of Lux just ain't for us_

 _We crave a different kind of buzz_

 _Let me be your ruler (ruler)_

 _You can call me queen bee_

 _And baby I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _Let me live that fantasy._

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _Oooh-oh_

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _We're better than we ever dreamed_

 _And I'm in love with being queen_

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _Oooh-oh_

 _Oh-oh-ooh_

 _Life is great without a care_

 _We aren't caught up in you love affair_

 _And we'll never be royals (royals)_

 _It's not in our blood_

 _That kind of Lux just ain't for us_

 _We crave a different kind of buzz_

 _Let me be your ruler (ruler)_

 _You can call me queen bee_

 _And baby I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _I'll rule_

 _Let me live that fantasy."_


	10. The best comforts

_Chapter 10! Kurt's settling in at Dalton. With things calming down he will explore have more time to wallow in his emotions. Though I did not intend it to originally, this story might get fairly dark. I'm trying to keep it from going too dark. I will sprinkle some lightheartedness in there as well. Also, some Klaine adorableness. Enjoy! Read and review._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee; or Harry Potter. My life is so sad. :(_

The Warblers are great. Singing fills the emptiness, somewhat, and the boys are friendly and inclusive. But most of them are always trying to get Kurt to do things. To hang out with them or play games. They crack an excessive number of jokes when he's around, trying to make him laugh. Because they've noticed that he never smiles. They can see his expressionless face and his blank stare; and they think they can fix it with silly quips. They don't know what's wrong with him. And though that's the way he wants it; it is still very frustrating.

To get away from them he tells them that he has to do his homework. Actually though, he doesn't hardly do the work. He'll open the calculus packet and stare at the complex equations he doesn't know how to solve and wonder what the point of even trying is. He doesn't want to be here anyway. In this school. In this town. Maybe not even in this world.

What does he even have left here? What reason does he have to stay here? Everything he cares about has been taken from him: his mom, his dad, his home, and his friends. All that is left to inhabit him is emptiness. Emptiness that he forces upon himself. Because if he isn't empty then he is full. Full of overwhelming sorrow and loneliness. Full of pain. Full of anger.

Useless anger towards everything. Towards the hospital and doctors that failed to save his mom from kidney failure due to her diabetes and his dad from his heart attack. Towards his dad for not taking care of himself right, having the heart attack, and dying. At all the adults who don't know him but get to choose what is 'best' for him. Useless anger because he can't do anything about it. He can't take it out on them.

The inability to express those emotions the way he wants to leaves him with only the option of burying them deep inside him and hiding them by convincing everyone else and himself that he feels nothing.

Maybe that's not healthy, but whatever. It's the only thing he can do. He can't make friends here. He can't laugh or have fun or be happy. That would be an insult to his Dad's memory. As angry at his dad as he is he won't insult him.

Kurt is drawn from his depressed thoughts by the chipper tweets of the sweet little yellow bird in its cage. The obnoxious little thing rarely shuts up. Kurt gets out of his chair to grab the bird seed and refill the little bowl. Maybe he's wrong, he does have a purpose in life. To keep this stupid little ball of optimism alive. Great.

After taking care of the bird Kurt collapses onto his bed. He'd like to just waste away here and now. His phone starts ringing and he grudgingly picks it up. The caller ID reads his grandpa's nursing home; probably calling to tell him that he's dead too. He regretfully answers the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, Squirt. How are you?" Hubert's voice comes through.

"Grandpa?" Kurt asks.

"Yeah. You doing okay?" His grandpa asks.

"I'm fine."

"Really. Vincent hasn't tried anything? Laurette's treating you well?" He sounds worried.

"They sent me to boarding school. I haven't seen them in over a week." Kurt says.

"That's good. All of us here are worried about you. Carole says she hasn't talked to you since they, quote, 'dragged you out of McKinley during goodbye's'. I wanted to make sure." Hubert says.

"Yeah. I'm fine. And I should call Carole." Kurt agrees automatically.

"They haven't hurt you. But how are you emotionally? You sound quite lackluster, not vibrant like you used to."

"I'm-" he bit off another 'fine'. "I'm trying to be okay. It hurts; and I hate it. I miss you. I miss Carole and Finn and my friends. I want to come home." Kurt whines.

"I know. We want you home too. We'd do anything to have you back. But it doesn't work like that." His grandpa says.

"Please. I want to come home." Kurt doesn't fight the tears, anything to convince his grandpa to give in.

"It's not up to us." his grandpa is trying to be gentle about it. It's not what Kurt wants.

"That's stupid." He complains.

"I know Squirt."

"It's not fair." Kurt continues.

"I know. But you have your car. You can visit us anytime, as long as you aren't skipping school." He adds the last part in teasing.

"I miss you." Kurt says.

"I miss you too, Squirt." Another voice comes muffled from the other end of the line. "I've got to go Kurt. But I love you. Don't be a stranger."

"I love you too." Kurt sobs.

The line goes dead and Kurt drops his phone on the bed beside him. He sobs a few times and huffs in attempts at deep breaths. He sniffs and wipes at his face. He's had to do that so much recently it is a wonder his skin isn't rubbed raw. It takes a few minutes for him to get control of his emotions again.

He rolls over to find a nervous looking Nick standing awkwardly at the door. Kurt gasps in surprise and embarrassment. Nick walks slowly towards him stuttering out "H-hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Kurt fusses over his appearance. "Sorry about… I was just… sorry."

"It's okay. We all get homesick. You don't have to be ashamed or hide it." Nick says.

"How much of that did you hear?" Kurt asks.

"Just the end. Form when you said you wanted to go home." Nick says. Kurt just nods. Nick continues. "Some of us are going to go have a movie marathon tonight. We wanted to invite you. Would you come?"

"I don't want to go to the lounge right now." Kurt says.

"We're actually going over to Wes' room, his roommate is out for the weekend and his parents got him a projector last Christmas. It's just a few of us, not at all public. Please. Blaine and Jeff and I really want you to come." Nick says.

Kurt considers. "Okay. Sure." He allows himself to be pulled out of bed. "Let me clean up a little before we go." He goes to their bathroom and rubs some moisturizer into his face. He applies makeup to his eyes to hide the redness and bagginess of them.

Upon exiting, he finds that Jeff and Blaine have come into the room. "Hey, you ready? Wes has got the projector set up and David is bringing the food. They're waiting for us." Nick says.

Kurt nods and the four of them make their way over to the Dewy dorm to Wes' room. The furniture has been rearranged; cushions, blankets and pillows have been piled on the floor. A wall has been cleared for the screen. There are chip bags and candy bowls in the same area. Wes and David are already sitting down leaning into each other, wrapped in the same blanket.

The four of them join the 'not gay' couple (psh, Right) on the floor. Naturally Nick and Jeff sit themselves as close as humanly possible to each other. Nick is on Jeff's lap with their legs twisted together and his head leaned back onto the blonde's shoulder, his neck exposed for the other to place small kisses along. Their hands are clasped in Nick's lap underneath the blanket they cover themselves in. Kurt doesn't want to worry about the possibilities of what they may do to each other under that blanket, he doesn't need the mental image. Kurt sits beside them, with a little extra space just in case, with Blaine on his other side. At least, until Blaine pulls him closer. "I'm so glad you came. Whenever we do these kind of movie nights Niff and Wevid end up cuddling and snogging while I'm left alone," the so called 'Wevid' protest to the accusations of snogging. "so, I'm glad to finally have a cuddle buddy." Blaine says.

"Okay." Kurt isn't sure what to think. Blaine is really flirty with him all the time; but, he can't tell if it specifically with him or just Blaine's personality. The hobbit-like boy is so chivalrous and dapper with everyone.

Blaine doesn't pick up on Kurt reservations though. He just smiles that adorable smile of his.

That smile melts any shyness Kurt would have had about cuddling with another boy. None of his guy friends at McKinley would ever allow for him to sit close to them, let alone cuddled with them, during a movie. And he misses them, yes, but he is beginning to find he likes these Warbler boys a great deal. Plus, Blaine is really comfy to lean against. So, he relishes Blaine's arm around his waist.

He, in fact, delves deeper into the cuddling throughout the first movie. It's a horror film. From the first scream, Kurt is curling into the blankets and averting his gaze from the screen into Blaine's chest. He hates horror films; but he doesn't say anything to the others. He presses closer to Blaine, pulls the blankets tighter and covers his ears with each following scream. At some point he begins whimpering; he'd like to give in and tell them to turn it off now; but is too far into his terror to do so. Blaine shifts their positions to pull Kurt more fully into his arms.

The movie stops quickly thereafter. Blaine tries to coax Kurt out of his hiding place. "Kurt? Kurt? Look at me Kurt. It's okay. We turned the movie off."

After he stops quaking in fear, sheer embarrassment takes over Kurt for freaking out so bad. He slumps farther down in shame. But Blaine lifts him up off his chest and makes him look at him. Blaine's head is slightly titled in questioning. In combination with his big gold eyes, he looks like a curious puppy. "Are you that scared of the movie?"

Kurt bends his head back down in shame, which is answer enough.

"Why didn't you say something? We can move on to the next movie." Wes says. "It's no big deal."

Blaine rubs his back. "You're okay. Here, eat this. It'll help." He pushes something into Kurt's face.

Kurt has to cross his eyes to see it. Upon realizing what it is he complains. "Chocolate clogs my pores."

The others laugh. "But chocolate will make you feel better." Blaine says and presses the candy to Kurt's lips again.

Kurt rolls his eyes and says sarcastically. "Okay, Lupin." He takes the piece from Blaine.

Blaine's entire face lights up. "You like Harry Potter?!"

"Who doesn't?" Kurt asks.

Blaine crushes him in a gleeful hug. "Wes, turn on Prisoner of Azkaban! We have to watch it!"

Wes grumbles about it; but does so. Kurt enjoys this movie far more that the first. Turns out Blaine is a huge Harry Potter nerd, and is super freaking adorable about it. They stay cuddled close. Kurt isn't even aware of the small smile that graces his features when he watches Blaine do something silly in response to the movie.

He is aware of his own increasing level of relaxation as the night progresses. They watch more comedic fun movies the rest of the night until one by one they all fall asleep. Kurt, unknowingly, being the first one to fade out. He wakes the next morning on Blaine's warm firm chest feeling rested for the first time in half a month.


	11. Keeping up with the New Directions

_Hello, dear friends! Welcome to chapter 11. I don't have much to say this time. Just read and enjoy. Leave a review please. Come back next week to find out what happens next._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own glee._

Tuesday again. Kurt's completed more than a full week at Dalton and still has a mountain of calculus work to do. He's very well caught up in all his other classes but the math is giving him a multitude of trouble. Despite his swinging moods of wanting to quit and waste away on his bed, it isn't in his personality to give up. He needs some help, but is unsure who he can get it from. Most his new friends are younger than him, and therefore in lower math classes.

Kurt throws his calculator at the wall furiously as he fails to understand all the strange symbols and numbers in companion with the graph that just looks like wavy lines to him. He takes a deep breath to control his frustration.

His phone rings. He doesn't check the caller ID as he answers with a less then kind. "What?"

"Wow Kurt. Don't bite my head off." A very familiar voice says.

"Mercedes?" Kurt's voice immediately softens. His spirits lift.

"Yeah." She says. "So, don't go yelling at me White Boy."

"Oh Cedes, I miss you so much."

"I miss you too. That's why I called. None of us have heard from you since you left McKinley with your crazy aunt. You've got us all worried, not responding to our texts or calls. We didn't know if your uncle had hurt you. And the guys were threatening to go out to Columbus and track him down. Where are you and why haven't we heard from you?"

Kurt places his forehead onto his palm. "Oh Gucci, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's just been a busy week. Um… No, Vincent hasn't beat me, I mean, he slapped me once but I'm fine." He can hear Mercedes gasp and knows she's about to argue. "I haven't even seen him, or her, almost since I've seen you. They shipped me off to boarding school two days after they got me."

"Boarding school? What?" Mercedes says.

"Yeah. That's why I haven't called. Too much homework."

"Ah, Hell to the no! They do not get to go through all that to take you away and then drop you like hot garbage!" Mercedes shouts.

Kurt give a huff of breath that is sort of amused and shrugs, though he knows she can't see. "It's alright. I'd much rather be home with you guys; but if I have to be under their care, it's better to live here than with them."

"It's still stupid." she says. Kurt agrees silently. Neither of them says anything for a time.

"How is everyone? What's happening with in glee club?" Kurt asks. His friends' drama is just the distraction he needs.

"Well, we started working on the school musical this week. We're doing Rocky Horror." She says.

"Is that appropriate?" he interrupts.

"Probably not. Mr. Schue is trying to impress Ms. Pillsbury because she loves it." They both giggle a bit at the maturity level displayed by their teacher. "Guess who's playing Janet and Brad?"

"Rachel and Finn." It's not even a question.

"Yes. Mr. Schue said he wished you were still around to play the part of Frankenfurter"

"Oh no! Even if I was there that would not happen. No way would I play a transvestite in high heels and fishnets and wearing lipstick." He says.

Mercedes laughs. "…I thought not. I think you would be a great Riff-Raff. And you will not believe who is playing the Frankenfurter role." He remained silent waiting for her to finish building the tension and tell him. "Mike!"

"What!? Mike? Mike Chang? But that's the lead; and he doesn't sing." Kurt protests.

"He does now. We did duets last week and he sung for the first time, I guess it boosted his confidence. He volunteered to take it."

Kurt shakes his head. That is unbelievable. "Wow…just, wow. So, what about everyone else? Who's playing the creature?"

"Sam is Rocky. Artie, obviously, is the guy in the wheelchair. The rest of us are filling all the other smaller female parts." She says.

He mentally goes back through the list of people. "Who's Sam?"

"He's the new kid in Glee. He's the bond football guy Finn tried to get to audition at the beginning of the school year. Remember him? He joined up last week. He wanted to a couple weeks ago but with everything that was happening with your dad's funeral and all, he waited until you were gone." She says.

"Okay. Well, keep me updated on how that goes."

"I will. And I expect you to come see us perform it."

"I will. Assuming Sue doesn't shut you down first." He promises.

She laughs. "Oh right, that'll be a fight. How about you, Kurt? How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." He says.

"I don't believe that for a second. Kurt, with everything that has happened; you aren't alright. I know that. And I'm not going to let you deny it, not to me. Tell me how you are." she says.

He hesitates. Silence hangs across the phone line: reluctant from him, expectant from her. "I don't know. I don't know how I am Cedes. Sometimes I just cry my eyes out; and sometimes I collapse and refuse to move. And I don't want to feel like this. I hate it."

"Kurt, it's okay. It's normal for you to be upset about this. It would be weird if you weren't. But, you know you won't feel like this forever." She says.

"I know Cedes. I know that better than you. But it hurts so much worse than it did with my mom. Because I don't have my dad here. And I'm alone." He says

"You're not alone. You've got all of us back here in Lima." She argues.

"I'm not in Lima."

"That's why they invented cell phones. You can call any of us at any time." She says. "And I bet you've already made some friends at your fancy private school. They can be your moral support there. You have been making friends, right?"

"Yes. Sort of. My roommate and his boyfriend. I've met a few others through them and the acapella choir I joined." Kurt says.

"Did you say your roommate had a boyfriend? You met more gay boys?"

"Yeah. There are a few here. My roommate, Nick, and his boyfriend, Jeff. Blaine; who's sweet and encouraging and confusing and so very cute. There's potentially two more. But, they're so far in the closet they won't admit it to themselves."

Mercedes laughs. "That's awesome. Now, who is this 'sweet and very cute Bane' person? Why is he confusing? I need deets immediately. Spill."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "First off, his name is Blaine. Second, there is nothing to tell. He is a friend who happens to be extremely attractive and nice."

"Right. I'm sure that's all he is." Mercedes voice is thick with sarcasm.

"Okay." Kurt cracks. "He gets kind of flirty sometimes. But I don't know if it's his personality or if he likes me. We had a good time on Sunday night. And he didn't mind that I slept on top of him. Maybe that means…"

"WOAH! Wait, WHAT!? You slept with him!?" She shrieks.

"NO! Well, yes. But not like… I mean… we were having a movie night. We were cuddling and fell asleep. My head was on his chest. It was an accident. It wasn't really sleeping together." Kurt shrieks.

Mercedes is laughing hard. Kurt is glad she can't see how red he's turned. "Oh my gosh, Kurt!"

"Shut up!" he commands.

"Kurt?" a voice behind him startles him.

Blaine is in the doorway, clearly having just opened the door to Kurt exclamation. Kurt blushes harder more than grateful he hadn't walked in ten seconds earlier. "Geesh! Blaine, don't do that."

"Sorry. You okay?" Blaine asks.

At the same time Mercedes gasps. "OMG is he there with you?"

"Yes" Kurt says in response to both of them.

Mercedes squeals so loud Kurt has to pull the phone from his ear. Blaine comes to sit next to him on the bed. "Who are you talking to?"

"My best friend." Kurt says and cautiously puts the phone back to his ear. "Mercedes? You done breaking my ear drums?"

"Yea, sorry. But this guy, this Blaine, he came into your room?" She says.

"Yes." he says.

"If you're busy with your friend, I can leave." Blaine says.

"NO! Do not let him leave, Kurt." Mercedes whispers.

"Why?" Kurt asks.

"Because you need to flirt with this cute gay boy that might be interested in you." She says.

"Mercedes." Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Nope. I'm hanging up now. Get him, White boy." She says and then leaves Kurt feeling exasperated and listening to the phone tone.

He rolls his eyes again at her. "Well, she just hung up on me. So, what did you want to do?" He asks Blaine.

Blaine smiles huge. "I was thinking you and I could…"


	12. Birth of Klaine

_Hey! Sorry-not-sorry about that last cliff hanger. When I wrote it I wasn't entirely positive what they were going to do; but, here it is! This is the longest chapter yet! Who's ready for Klaine? I am! I hope you like it. Read and review._

 _R.I.P. to Mark Salling. We'll all miss our favorite mow-hawked bad-ass._

 _Disclaimer; I don't own glee._

"I was thinking you and I could harass Niff."

"ugh, I can't believe you guys use those silly couple names too." Kurt huffs. "But what do you mean? Why would we mess with them?"

"Because they've turned my room into their personal sex spot. And I want to remind them that I lived there first." Blaine says.

Kurt cringes. "That's probably my fault. I asked not to make out while I'm in our room. And I'm in here most of the time."

"There's that too. Let's get you out of here." Blaine stands and offers Kurt his hand.

Kurt figure's 'what the heck' and takes the offered hand. "We're not going to get in trouble, are we?"

"Only with our roommates. If Headmaster Gooden finds out he'll probably reward us. He's trying to get them to calm down, that's why he won't let them share a dorm anymore."

Blaine leads Kurt out the door and down the hall. "Wait. Did they live together in your room or my room?" Kurt is pretty sure he knows the answer and he doesn't like it.

"Yours." Blaine says.

"Oh, gross. My bed, they did it in my bed." Kurt gags.

Blaine stops to look at him pityingly. "Try not to think about it. We did our best to cleanse it. We held a ceremony to burn the old sheets and mattress cover. They haven't done it on your sheets." He tries to reassure. Then adds on in an unsettling whisper. "Probably."

Kurt shivers in disgust. "Okay. What do you have in mind? I'm totally on board now. They need to pay, immediately."

A mischievous sparkle lights Blaine's eyes. "Follow me."

He grabs Kurt by the hand and pulls him down the corridor, across the green, all the way to the Dewy Dorm-house. "What exactly are we going to do to them?" Kurt asks.

"I have a few ideas. We'll discuss in my room." Blaine says.

"I thought you said they were making out in there."

"Not right now. They're out on a date, but they'll be back in a little while. I want catch them by surprise when they show up."

They reach Blaine's room. Blaine unlocks the door and yanks Kurt through quickly, then slams it behind them. The jerking forces in the end find Kurt standing with his back to the door, almost touching it and Blaine standing in front of him, close enough to feel each other's body heat. Kurt can feel himself getting flustered, thankfully Blaine is oblivious to it. He steps away to the window and opens the shades. From there he can see across the campus; Woodsworth and the student parking lot beyond it. They'll be able to see when Niff come back.

Still holding Kurt's hand, Blaine pulls him onto his bed with him. They sit facing each other on the mattress. Blaine brings out a bag of pranking tools: silly string, air horns, duct tape, etc. "Okay, here's my plan. We're going to make the mattress fall out of the bed frame. Where it will land on these airhorns and startle the crap out of them. Then we'll burst out of our hiding place and attack them with silly string." Blaine says.

"Um. Okay, sounds good. But I am not touching their mattress if they've been... you know…having…" Kurt blushes and whispers, "…doing it on it", awkwardly.

Blaine snorts and purses his lips in a clear attempt to keep laughing. "It's sex, Kurt. It's okay to say it." He says.

Kurt shakes his head in response.

Blaine laughs and moves off the bed. "Alright. I'll move the mattress since you're scared of sex. But you have to help me unscrew the boards."

Kurt watches Blaine pull the mattress off the bed frame and onto the floor; revealing the wooden planks of the bedframe beneath. He then joins him, at Blaine's request, with a pair of screwdrivers from the pile of supplies. He gives one to Blaine and receives a "Thanks". Together they begin unscrewing all the wooden planks that support the mattress from the bedframe.

They do so in silence; for about twelve seconds. Kurt's good with it. Blaine, however, is not. He speaks up, "Tell me about yourself, Kurt."

"Why? What do you want to know?" Kurt asks. He doesn't want to answer any prying question.

"Anything. Because you're the new kid and I don't know much about you."

"Just because I'm new and you aren't doesn't mean I know anymore about you than you do about me." Kurt says.

"Right." Blaine contemplates. "Okay. Then let's get to know each other. We'll take turns asking each other questions."

"Okay. Sure. But I reserve the right to refuse to answer any question." Kurt agrees to humor him.

Blaine glances up with a somewhat disappointed look but shrugs it off. "Great. So, first question: What is your favorite color?"

Okay, that is not what Kurt was expecting. "Um, I don't really know. I like a variety of colors and it all depends on the shade and how they're paired together and my mood. My favorite color has changed so many times I gave up on picking a single one."

"There's not one color you think is prettier than all the others right now?" Blaine asks. incredulous.

"I guess... there's this golden-brown color I've come to like a lot recently. It's like a dark amber or… more like honey. It's so beautiful and lively. But I can't remember where I've seen it." He says, thinking deeply.

He remembers it being shiny and soft, with little bits of greenish in among the gold. He shakes his head to focus back on what they're doing. Kurt looks up into Blaine's eyes and is hit with the thought, 'oh, that's where'. He blushes fiercely. Gosh, why was he always doing that around Blaine?

Blaine raises on thick eyebrow. "It's you turn to ask a question." He says simply.

"Right. Uh…" Kurt finds his mind blank. "…um… What's your favorite color?"

Blaine smiles amused. "Red. And blue. But not like the school uniform. Not navy. I like a lighter, brighter blue. Like glass..." He stares intently back at Kurt as his voice takes on a wistful lilt. "… or the ocean. With multiple shades of blue and grey and greenish. When it sparkles and swirls together."

"Sounds like a perfect day on the beach." Kurt comments.

"Yeah. Especially when the swirling water is paired with soft white sand." Blaine says; it sounds like a quip; but, Kurt doesn't understand why he would be quipping with that. Blaine breaks their eye contact and returns to unscrewing boards and asks, "What is your favorite bowtie that you own?"

"Wow. You really are obsessed with bowties." Kurt rolls his eyes. "Um. I think my clockwork one. The one I was wearing-"

"-The first time we met." Blaine interrupts. "I remember it. It was really cool."

"Yeah. But it all depends on the outfit you pair it with. The clockwork one would not work with a brightly colored polka-dot shirt."

"Of course not." Blaine says. "That is why it is best to own a plethora of bowties so as to always have one that will go well with any outfit."

"Sure, Blaine. But you don't need to wear one every day." Kurt admonishes. "My turn. Who are your favorite bands or singers?"

"Ooo. Katy Perry, P!nk, and Michael Jackson." Blaine says. "What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?"

Kurt falls into a stupor. Looking back on his life it was far more filled with horrible things. His mom's sickness and subsequent death. All the years of bullying and fear. His dad's death and being taken by his abusive aunt and uncle.

"Kurt?" Blaine asks.

He didn't realize how much time had past. "Not much has been great, really. My life has kind of sucked. But, I guess… Glee club. At my old school. It's the only place I had friends. I met Mercedes there. And joining it kept me from ki… uh… never mind." he trails off. He doesn't need to lay the fact that he had once been suicidal on his new friend.

Blaine looks at him concerned and curious. He scoots over to Kurt. "Kept you from what?"

Kurt kept his eyes on the screw he was working on. "It's not your turn to ask a question." He deflects. "What is the grossest food you've ever eaten?"

Blaine considers him for a moment before letting it go and answering the question. "Something called Balut. It's a Philippine delicacy I had once when I went to visit my grandparents. I'm not going to tell you what it's made of because it is horrible and disgusting." Blaine sticks his tongue out and gags. "Anyway. Who was your childhood fictional crush?"

"Ooo. I loved Disney princes. Aladdin was the cutest; his tan skin and dark hair. And he had a real personality, unlike most the other princes." Kurt admits with embarrassment. "And he has an awesome pet monkey." Blaine laughs. "If you came with a warning label what would it say?"

Blaine laughs again. "It would say, 'WARNING: this person is prone to bursting into song randomly.' Like this-

"Well Ali Babba had them 40 thieves,

Scheherazade had a thousand tales.

But master you in luck,

cause up your sleeves,

you got a brand of magic never fails.

You've got some power in your corner now

Some heavy ammunition in your camp…"

"Oh my gosh, Blaine!" Kurt rolls his eyes. "Stop it!"

"You ain't never had a friend like me…"

"Blaine." Kurt is smiling as he complains at the other boy.

Blaine persists in singing until Kurt shoves him. Then he breaks into giggles. "Okay. I'm done. My question: Why don't you smile more often? You're really cute when you smile."

Kurt's heart warms at the compliment simultaneously with his stomach twisting at the question. His smile slips lower. He looks away to the screw he's unscrewing; it's the last one. He can feel Blaine watching him as he pulls it out. "Kurt?"

"That's the last board." Kurt says, still avoiding looking at Blaine. He removes the last board to lay it under the bed directly beneath where it belonged. He stands up and says. "Guess the question game is over too."

"Hey!" Blaine grabs Kurt's hand, not unkindly, to still him form walking away. He stands up and turns Kurt to face him. He gently places his other hand under Kurt's chin and guides it up so they are looking at each other. Those beautiful honey eyes are big so close to his own; and glinting with a sad light. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything." He says softly. "But if somethings wrong; you shouldn't bottle it up. Kay? So, if you ever want to talk about anything, you can talk to me."

Kurt cast his gaze away. "We've got a prank to finish." He mumbles.

"No prank is as important as you." Blaine says.

"I'm fine. And we need to get this done before they get back."

He can feel Blaine watching him. He wraps his arms gently around Kurt. "Okay. Just know I care about you." he whispers into his ear.

Kurt timidly returns the hug. He says slowly. "Thank you. But I'm okay. And we do need to move fast if we want to get this done before they come back." He pulls back with a half-smile.

Blaine smiles back. "Right. We've got to hurry. Grab some air horns and tape."

They get the airhorns placed quickly. An easy conversation flows between them. When it comes to placing the mattress back on the frame Blaine begs Kurt to help him balance it. Kurt refuses as much as he can but eventually gives in to that puppy look on Blaine's face. After wards he scrubs his hands three times in the bathroom before he rejoins Blaine in the main room.

There he finds Blaine removing some risqué objects from Jeff's bedside drawers. He blushes and squeaks in discomfort and disbelief. Blaine looks up and laughs at his expression. "What are you doing?" Kurt demands shrilly.

"They can't very well have sex without condoms and lube." Blaine says.

"Gross! Put that down! Who knows what's on that?!" Kurt squeals. Blaine laughs and tosses the box and bottle under his own bed. He moves towards Kurt who protests. "Don't touch me until you have washed your hands."

Blaine raises his hands in surrender and removes himself to the bathroom. He returns a few minutes later. "There, all clean." He mocks.

"Thank you." Kurt sasses back.

Blaine peers out the window. "Oh crap! They're back! Hurry! Hurry! They're coming!" He collects the silly string cans and rapidly checks over the room. Then he pulls the door to his wardrobe open and gestures to Kurt to "Get inside!"

Blaine climbs into the wardrobe after Kurt. He pulls the door shut; leaving the door cracked open about an inch. They adjust themselves so that they can both peer out the crack; Kurt kneeling on the floor with Blaine leaning over him.

The door to the room opens. Nick's voice calls out, "Blaine?". A pause. Followed by Nick saying, "He's not here."

"Good." Jeff says. The couple walk into view of the boys in the wardrobe. "Because that means there's nothing in the way of us ravaging each other."

Nick smirks and fists Jeff's t-shirt in his hand. "Oh, you bet we will. I'm going to…"

Kurt shuts his ears at hearing the vulgar words coming out of his roommate's mouth. He blushes and puts his hands to his ears. He can feel Blaine huff out silent laughs on the back of his neck. He wants to look away: but, he can't take his eyes off them.

Nick and Jeff smash their faces together. They practically rip each other's shirts off. They stumble back towards Jeff's bed. Nick shoves Jeff backwards onto the bed; falling on top of him as Jeff's fingers are wrapped into his beltloops.

The mattress beneath them falls instantly. Jeff yelps. An airhorn goes off. They jump and flail around getting tangled in the sheets. More airhorns go off as the roll around. Kurt smiles amused. Blaine is suppressing laughs behind him; his chest heaving into Kurt's back.

"Ow! What's…?"

"Ack! I can't…"

The two of them shriek and yell as they somehow manage to get themselves out of the bedding and onto the floor. "What just happened?" Nick asks.

Blaine loses it then. He cracks up and pushes Kurt out of the wardrobe. Nick and Jeff startle at the noise. Blaine begins spraying them with his silly string; all the while laughing. Kurt takes his can to help out. Nick and Jeff glare at the two of them as they get coated in the stinky chemical spray. As the last sputters of string burst from the cans Blaine collapses to the floor laughing.

"What the hell, guys?" Nick yells.

"What did you do to my bed?" Jeff adds.

They begin pulling the silly string off of themselves. As well as continue to glare and yell angry comments at Blaine rolling on the floor. "We're so getting you back for this." Nick promises.

"You'd best sleep with one eye open." Jeff threatens.

Kurt watches on. He can't seem to give their threats any credence. They look far to ridiculous; half naked, sitting in tangled sheets, and covered in silly string.

Up to this point, Kurt hadn't realized how big he was smiling. Until a handful of giggles burst from his throat. The others' angry grunts and Blaine's howling laughter stop immediately. They all look up at him in surprise. He slaps his hand over his mouth. No, he shouldn't have laughed. It's too soon. He can't laugh so soon after losing his dad.

"Oh my… That was the cutest thing I've ever heard!" Jeff squeals.

Kurt is choking up; so ashamed of himself. Air is not filling his lungs. Everything is trembling. "Kurt?" Blaine ask quietly; rising from the floor. "Kurt are you okay?" Kurt shakes his head. "Hey. Hey. Hey. What's wrong?"

Trying to speak Kurt finds he can't hear more than mumbles of his own voice. His hands are still pressed firmly to his mouth. It's making it hard to breathe. Blaine is right next to him now. Coaxing the hands that used to be under Kurt's control away. Blaine asks him to try again.

"I-I-I" Kurt wheezes. "I shouldn't- I shouldn't- I can't…" His chest aches from too much pressure.

"Breathe, Kurt. Shh, it's okay. Just breathe." Blaine encourages.

Kurt tries, he really does, to follow Blaine's instructions. The best that comes is coughs and gasps. Nick comes closer to him. "It's okay Kurt. You can laugh. We're not really mad. It was just a prank. It's okay."

Vehemently, Kurt's head shakes. "No. I can't. I can't. It's wrong. I shouldn't."

Air flees again. The three of them on his every side. Familiar warm wetness runs down his face. He needs to get out. GET OUT! He pushes through a space between them. White noise sounding something like his name follows him to his room.


	13. Kurt's family situation

_Hey guys! First off I want to thank those of you who have been leaving comments every week. I love hearing from you. I'm glad to have at least a few dedicated followers._

 _Next up I have a question:Who missed Laurette? Anyone? No? me neither. But it's been a while since we've seen her so naturally she has to rear her ugly head. Kurt just can't get a full chapter of happiness. Which, I suppose, is my fault. Darn, I really need to silence this sadistic voice in my head that tells me my characters must suffer. Unfortunately that may take a while. So, until then, Kurt is going to have to go through some hard times. So, sorry. I'll make it up to you by adding a dash of Klaine wherever I can._

 _Last up, disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Which is probably a good thing._

Kurt keeps up with the New Directions the next few days more than he had previously. It's not constant because he has lots of work to do. But he knows that Mike's parents won't let him participate in the play so Mercedes is now playing Frankenfurter. She'd also told him about the insane love triangle drama between Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury and her hot dentist boyfriend. He is so glad he's not caught up in the middle of all that.

It's a stark contradiction to how he's interacting with his friends at Dalton; or rather, not interreacting with them. Kurt avoids Nick, who is trying to corner him in their room. He finds a different table to sit at alone during lunch; and refuses to look at Blaine as he tries to talk to him in music class. Somehow, he even manages to escape after Warblers rehearsal before they can stop him.

Now, he is holed up in his room. Sitting crunched together in the chair at his desk; chin on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs, staring at the pictures thereon of his parents. He's so cold, shivering in his cardigan. The guilt in his gut eating up all the warmth. Thoughts of self-deprecation weighing down his head.

He is so lost in his own mind that he doesn't even notice when the door to the room opens. He vaguely hears his roommate's voice talking to someone else, "He's here."

Finally, his consciousness sinks back down into his body when a warm hand comes to rest on his shoulder. He draws a deep breath in through his nose. David's there; Wes on his other side. Nick and Jeff sit quietly on Nick's bed. Blaine stands in the door way. Kurt rolls his eyes. An intervention; great.

"Hey, Kurt." David says. "You want to tell me what's wrong? You were quiet in Warblers today, and these guys told us about Tuesday. You okay?"

Kurt rolls his eyes and drops his head into his hand. Seriously, what about his behavior the last few days makes them think he wants to talk to any of them? He was too upset; and embarrassed about Tuesday. Maybe continued ignoring will make them go away. Somehow, he doesn't think so. They're too stubborn to leave.

Despite Kurt's efforts to pretend they don't exist they don't take the hint. They stay persistent at his side. "Come on, Kurt. You can talk to us." David says.

"We're your friends. It's okay. No one will judge you." adds Wes.

Ringing comes from Kurt's phone sitting on the desk next to him. Seizing the chance to excuse the others he doesn't even bother looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

He should've known better. As much as he doesn't want to talk to his Warbler friends, he would much rather do so than deal with the voice that comes over the phone. "Hello, Kurt."

"What the hell do you want?" He growls at Laurette.

The guys around him look at him with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and worry. "Kurt?" Blaine asks.

"Don't curse!" Laurette snaps. "I'm calling to tell you that you are coming home for dinner tomorrow. Be here by 6."

"That hellhole isn't my home. So, why would I go there?"

"Watch your tongue!" she sounds ticked off. Kurt really gets the feeling. "Your social worker is coming over to check how you're settling in. So, you had best be here with a better attitude tomorrow night."

"If she wants to see how I'm settling in send her to Dalton. I'm not coming."

"You are working my last nerve, brat." She warns.

"Wow. I've said a whole five sentences. You have a real temperament." He says flatly.

She makes animalistic angry sounds and clips out. "You will be here, on your best behavior at 6 or you will be punished severely."

"You can't do anything to me." Kurt says.

"I can do everything to you, you pestilent little boy. I can take away your car and cut you off from all those pathetic friends you have in Lima."

These threats scare Kurt a bit so he bites back at her, sure he is right. "I own and pay for my car. You can't touch it. Nice try; but, no one pushes the Hummel's around. You've got nothing on me."

"You sound so stupid. I am your legal guardian; I have complete control over your assets. I can close your access to your dad's money and the income from his garage until you're eighteen. You wouldn't be able to pay for your car." Kurt's fingernails dig into his palms. He is backed into a corner. "What? Out of sass?" She mocks him.

"You can't." He protests weakly. She can.

"Either you come be here, on your best behavior, for dinner tomorrow. Or I'll take you out of Dalton and force you to live in this 'Hellhole' every day."

Kurt ends the call without another word and throws the phone down on the desk in a huff.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice sounds.

Kurt jumps; having forgotten they were there. And, they just heard that argument. Fantastic.

"Um… what was that about? Is everything okay?" Blaine continues.

He's on Kurt's side now too, next to Wes. Kurt sighs and hangs his head. "It's just my aunt." He says.

"Why are you fighting with her?" Jeff says. He and Nick have drawn closer too. "And what about your car? Is she trying to take it away?"

"Threatening to."

"How could she even do that; if it's yours?" David asks.

"By cutting me off from my parents' money." Kurt says.

"But how can she do that? Unless…" David trails off, realization dawning on him. "You live with her?"

"I live here." Kurt says shortly.

"But she's your guardian?" David says.

"Legally" Kurt snips.

Most of the guys are silent; getting it. But Jeff asks, "What about your parents?"

"Jeff." Nick admonishes quietly.

"My parents are dead." Kurt slumps forward; cradling his head in his hands. He does not want to tell them any of this. But for some reason it's coming out now as they press him. He can see them out of the corner of his eyes giving each other significant looks; begging each other to speak up, to offer comfort. He huffs and rolls his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

The looks they are all giving him annoy him; clearly, they don't want to drop it. Luckily, Nick does shift the conversation slightly. "What about your brother? Flynn or…"

"Finn" Jeff supplies.

"He's at home." Kurt says

"At your aunt's house." Nick assumes.

"No. He's at home. With my real family."

"But your parents are dead." Wes says. Which is both insensitive and unhelpful; because, they just went over that fact.

"He's with his mom. At their house." Kurt cuts off the next question by pursuing in his explanation. "Yes, he has a different mom. We're not actually brothers. But our parents were dating; they were really close to getting married, before my dad died. So, he's the closest thing to a brother I'm ever going to have."

"Your mom died before your dad? They weren't in like a car accident?" Kurt really wishes one of the others would smack Wes upside the head for him. He would do it himself but he's a non-violent person; also, he's not sitting in a position to reach Wes' head.

"Yes, Wes. My mom died eight years before my dad." His voice is clipped and he's giving Wes his best bitch-glare. "She got really sick and died when I was eight."

Wes shifts uncomfortably. He's clearly thinking pretty hard. Kurt can see when some kind of lightbulb goes off in his head and he makes to say something again. Fortunately, Blaine nudges him hard and shakes his head. "He doesn't want to talk about it."

Kurt's glad for the apparent mutual decision his friends make to change the topic of discussion. "So, why was you aunt threatening to take your car? There's no way that you did something worthy of that punishment."

"She wants me to come for dinner tomorrow and I said no." Kurt says.

"That's a really dumb reason." Wes says.

"Why don't you want to go? It's got to be better than losing your car, right?" Nick says.

"Yeah, maybe." Kurt agrees with little conviction. "But I hate that apartment and her husband; and, as you heard, I don't much like her either."

"Still, it's only one night. It couldn't be that bad." Nick says.

Kurt sure hopes so. Because he's going to have to go. He can't lose his car. He just nods at the others. Kurt is beginning to feel claustrophobic with the five of them all surrounding him. He pushes his chair away from the desk; forcing them to back off a bit. "Can we please stop talking about it now?"

To his great relief they do. "We'll get out of your hair. Got a council meeting anyway." Wes and David give formal farewells and take their leave from the room.

"We'll go too." Jeff says and tugs at Nick.

"You can have the room." Blaine offers. "For an hour."

Jeff and Nick smile gratefully, and perhaps impishly. They dash from the room. Blaine shakes his head.

"You know you just gave them permission to do 'it' in your room." Kurt says.

Blaine laughs a little and nods. "Technically; but, they still don't know that I took their lube and condoms. So, I don't suspect they'll actually be able to get around to doing 'it'."

Kurt scrunches his nose up. "Gross." He says. "Are you going somewhere too. Or are you just going to hang out in here for an hour?"

Blaine moves gently over and leans against Kurt's desk, nearly sitting on it. He and Kurt look at each other for a few seconds. "Eight plus eight equals sixteen." He observes.

"What?" Kurt asks.

"You're only sixteen, Kurt."

"Yes, I am aware of that. What are you getting at?"

Blaine scoots over on the desk until he and Kurt are face to face. "Your mom died when you were eight. Your dad eight years later. That's sixteen." Kurt drops his gaze from Blaine's as soon as he realizes what he's getting at. "It was really recent, wasn't it?" Blaine reaches his hand out to Kurt's shoulder. He runs it down the older boy's bicep. "Kurt?"

Kurt pulls away to press the heels of his hands into his eyes; trying to stem the oncoming tears. Blaine drops down to kneel on the ground; where he has a good vantage point to look up into Kurt's bowed face. "Kurt, you don't have to talk about it. But if you want to, you can come to any of us: me, Nick, Jeff, even David and Wes. Anything you need. We won't judge you. If you need to talk or cry or if you need a hug. Okay? Anything."

Kurt sniffs. Blaine kindly moves his hands away from his face and wipes away a stray tear. "Okay?" he asks again.

Those honey eyes shine with such sincerity that Kurt can't help but nod. Blaine smiles at him. "Now, what do you want to do for the next hour? Since I can't go back to my room because our roommates are at the very least sucking each other's…" Blaine hesitates and carefully chooses the word "..faces off in there." Blaine asks.

Kurt doesn't deign the innuendo with a response. He instead suggests, "We can watch a Disney movie."

"I love the way you think." They climb onto Kurt's bed and cuddle while singing along to Aladdin on his laptop.


	14. Check up

_Sorry I'm late. I was busy yesterday. Hope you all had a great Valentines day as well. Read and review. I love hearing from you._

 _Warning: This chapter contains domestic abuse._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot._

Kurt gets to the apartment building on time: six sharp. But, he's feeling grouchy and spiteful; so, he doddles in his car for a while. Then he takes his sweet time climbing the stairs to the sixth floor. He manages to drag it out to over 20 minutes before he is standing in front of their door. There he stops and stares, unsure if she expects him to knock or just walk in. Whatever, he turns the knob and lets himself in.

He's not even closed the door when a meaty hand wraps itself around his arm and jerks him around. His face comes uncomfortably close to that of Vincent. The large man glowering down at him with utmost abhorrence. "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago, Kid. Where the hell have you been?"

Vincent doesn't wait for an answer before slamming the door and violently manhandling Kurt through the apartment to the dining room. Laurette is their putting the finishing touches on an elegant dinner set up at the table. Some cream-sauce covered noodles with shrimp. She looks up and glares at Kurt, also yelling at him about being late. Vincent's hold on his bicep is steady and strong; enough to hurt. Kurt won't complain though. He knew they would be mad.

"Ms. Newton will be here any minute!" Laurette yells. "And you show up late looking like this? What even are you wearing?"

Kurt doesn't understand; he'd dressed nice. A light blue button down, a black vest, and trousers, sleek black boots and a light scarf with skull imagery on it. It's the scarf she takes first. Ripping it off his neck. "Hey!" he protests.

"You can't wear this it's horrible. It makes you look gay." She says.

"Give it back! That's an Alexander McQueen!" Kurt tries to snatch it with his free hand but is stopped all to quick by taking that arm into custody too.

"It's faggy! That's what it is." The large man growls. "You look like a girl in that scarf and those boots."

Laurette looks at the boots in distaste. "Yes, well, let's get the boots off and hide them. Get him sat down."

"Don't touch my boots!" Kurt grunts and fights back as Vincent forces him into a chair at the table. Laurette gets down to unlace Kurt's boots. He kicks at her. Which earns him more manhandling as they both hold him down and pull the boots off his feet. After achieving victory, Laurette takes Kurt's scarf and boots into the kitchen and returns without them. "Give them back!"

Laurette and Vincent take up positions on either side of him. "You listen here." Vincent demands, still holding him in place. "You are going to do as you're told tonight or you'll never see that faggy scarf again. You are going to sit here and not move unless told to."

He gets right up in Kurt's face with a threatening look. Kurt glares heatedly back at him. Laurette breaks the glaring contest by forcing Kurt to turn her way. "You will be polite. You will speak only when necessary. You will not make us look bad in front of the social worker. And you will do it all with a smile. If you do or say anything unsavory you will receive your just punishment for it after she leaves. Do I make myself clear?"

Kurt keeps glaring. Vincent's grip tightens and Kurt can feel his fingernails through the fabric of his shirt. "She asked you a question. Do you understand?"

Vincent twists the hand around Kurt's arm until Kurt gives into the pain and yelps, "Yes!"

They release him then; standing and walking off to finish their last-minute preparations. Kurt nurses his hurt arm. He stays seated; too scared to dare to move. A knocking comes at the door a few short minutes later. Vincent goes to answer it while Laurette serves up the food and gives Kurt some final whispered orders. "Sit up straight. Stop holding your arm like that. And Smile."

Kurt does his best to school his features as she demands. Sitting tight and straight. The only sign of distress being him wringing his hands together in his lap. He gives a pleasant greeting to Ms. Newton when she and Vincent join them at the table. Ms. Newton sits to his left and Laurette to his right. His aunt rests the heel of her stilettos on top of Kurt's foot in a clear message. This is going to be one Hell of a night.

"It's good to see you again Ms. Newton." Laurette greets. "I hope you like sea food."

"Yes, I do. Thank you, Mrs. Cote. It's nice to see you too." Ms. Newton says politely in return. "You as well Kurt. It's good to see you. How are you holding up?" She asks after swallowing the first bite of pasta.

Does she expect him to say it's good to see her too? It really isn't. Not after she forced him into his aunt's custody. And how does she expect him to be? It's only been three weeks since his dad died. Laurette presses the heel of her shoe into the top of Kurt's foot slightly, prompting him to reply. "Uh, yeah. I'm-I'm fine." He stutters out and tries to hide a wince. That heel pressing itself between his metatarsals really hurts. Fortunately, the pressure is relieved a bit when he answers.

Ms. Newton makes notes on the clipboard she brought with her. "That's good. You started at a new school, right? How's that going? Are you adjusting?"

"Yeah. I go to Dalton Academy." The heel is still set on his foot at a pressure a little more than resting. He has to be careful what he says; but, maybe he can slip in some clues. "It's a private school over in Westerville. I'm getting caught up with the curriculum. Even doing pretty well in some of the classes."

"Good, good." Ms. Newton smiles. "And how are things here at home? Everything going well with you three?"

"Things are great. He's such a joy to have around." Laurette gushes.

Kurt resists the urge to roll his eyes and keep a polite smile on. "I'm not actually here much. Dalton's a boarding school so I'm there all the time."

The pain in his foot increases. Laurette's smile takes on a certain tightness. "Well, yes. It's better that way during the week. Vincent and I can get our work done and Kurt can be close to teachers and classmates to help him adjust to the higher education Dalton offers. And I think it gives him a good chance to make friends. But, he comes home on weekends. We make sure to give him all our attention then. And to teach him wrong from right." She enunciates those words with a subtle yet pointed glare at Kurt.

"Yes. I understand. It must be difficult mixing him into your life schedule. And having your first parenting experiences with a teenager can't be easy." Ms. Newton agrees.

"They aren't my parents." Kurt can't believe she's buying into their bull-crap. Wait. Maybe he can. From what he knows about her thus far, she seems to be very gullible to their lies.

More pressure is applied to his foot.

"No, Kurt, they aren't. You had parents and I don't think your aunt and uncle ever presume to try to take their places. But, they are acting parental too you now, so that's the word I used." Ms. Newton admonishes. "Now, as your aunt was speaking of, have you made some friends at Dalton? Your social health is very important after the loss you've just suffered."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have taken me away from my friends and the people I actually consider family." Kurt grumbles out without thinking. Immediately, he is met with sharp pain in the top of his foot. He can actually feel the stiletto wedging itself between his bones. "Ow!"

The adults all startle. Laurette recovers fast. "Oh, my dear! Was that your foot? I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" She gets out of her chair to fret over him like she actually cares. Kurt flinches from her touch. Still she persists.

"Get off! I'm fine!" He insists. It's a lie. He foot is throbbing. But it gets her to back off, after a last apology and hug; under which he tenses greatly. Ms. Newton's onlooking expression changes from curious concern to a satisfied smile. Laurette sits back down and they continue with dinner. She keeps her heel off his foot now; but, the damage is done. He's going to be feeling this pain for a few days, at least.

The only sound is forks scratching across plates and teeth for a few minutes. Ms. Newton, Laurette, and Vincent discuss the legal and financial matters of Kurt's care but he remains silent in his chair. Wishing he could disappear.

Once all the adults' plates are cleared of food a few minutes later, Ms. Newton speaks again. "Alright. Now, I need to have a short interview with Kurt. Is there somewhere we can do so in private?"

Though they are reluctant about it, Laurette and Vincent go to their bedroom and give Kurt and Ms. Newton the living room to themselves. She sits on the couch facing him where he is curled up in the loveseat adjacent. Her clipboard of paperwork on her lap. "Alright, Kurt, I'm going to ask you a few questions to determine how your dealing with everything. I want you to answer honestly. Okay?" He nods; he actually can without Laurette and Vincent in the room. "Good boy. Now, let's start off with this: I know you miss your friends in Lima. That's normal in this situation. But, as you were told when you were put in their care, this is the best place you can be right now. Your aunt and uncle can and are taking care of you very well. That's the most important thing."

Kurt scoffs derisively. "You said my social health was important."

"It is. But that's something we can deal with no matter where you are. You can make friends and we can get you a therapist if you need to talk about things." She pauses. He rolls his eyes. "You are making friends at your new school, right?"

"Yeah, some. My roommate, his friends and boyfriend and such. The boys in the club I joined."

"See? That's all good. They can be your support group just as well as your old friends; Maybe better." He glares at her with utter loathing. How can she say that? "You're gay, right? And you say your roommate has a boyfriend? That means they're accepting of you; which from what I understand the people at your old school weren't."

"You don't know anything about what my life was like at McKinley. My friends were supportive." He objects.

"The guidance counselor gave me her information on you. They say you had problems with some of the other students bullying you because you're gay. Is that not true?"

"Well, yes, it is. But, my friends weren't."

"But at this academy of yours you have friends and no bullies. That makes it better." She insists.

Kurt shakes his head. Frustrated. Annoyed. "Why did Miss Pillsbury even tell you that?" he grumbles.

"Because I requested it. I needed to know what possible emotional and social problems could effect your recovery from your trauma."

"My dad's dead! That's not something I'm ever going to recover from! I have to live with it forever!" he nearly sobs.

"There's no need to yell." She says. "I am aware of that. But, you can move forward with your life. You can't let this weigh you down forever. So, I asked the counselor for information that could help me help you to move on. And she did. She said you've struggled with deep depression before. That's something we need to keep you from falling back into."

"What? When did she l think I was depressed?"

"She said that at the beginning of last school year, when she first met you, she found you looking at a pamphlet on suicide."

"I'm not suicidal. She doesn't know what that was about."

"You're not depressed then?"

"Right now? Having this conversation? Yes. I feel depressed sometimes. It's an emotion. But no, I don't have depression." Kurt insists.

She studies him. "Okay then. Let's move on." She says "How are things going here? They're taking good care of you, yes? They seem to be good."

"They don't take care of me at all! I'm never here; not even on weekends. This is the first time I've been back here since they first took me."

"Your aunt said different." She says. "You spend the weeks at school and come home for the weekends."

"This isn't my home!"

"Please stay calm."

"And she was lying! I was here for two nights before they dropped me at Dalton and I haven't been back since."

She looks at him believing. "Uh-huh. When you are here, how is it? Things seem to be going well. They really seem to care about you."

"They hate me!" Kurt screams in outrage. "Vincent hit me, for real this time. They stole my boots and scarf. Laurette was digging her heel into my foot during dinner to get me to not say bad things about them."

"I asked you to be honest with me." She says. As if she's the one who deserves to be frustrated.

"I am! You're not listening!"

"They have demonstrated nothing but caring and patience with you. You are the one who is being troublesome." She slips her pen in the top of the clipboard and stands. "I think I've heard enough in this interview for now. It's time I should get going."


	15. Punished

_Don't hate me! The monsters I've created in this story just wont leave Kurt alone. I hate them as much as all of you. Endure through the wretchedness of Laurette and Vincent for 1630 more words and next week I'll give you a full chapter of Klaine. I won't ask you to enjoy; in fact please do not enjoy Kurt's pain. But read and review, please!_  
 _Warnings for this chapter: Domestic abuse, violence, angst, and evil-evil people_  
 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Kurt is happy about this._

Ms. Newton slips her pen in the top of the clipboard and stands. "I think I've heard enough in this interview for now. It's time I should get going."

"You can't leave me with them!" Kurt is usually above begging, but he may have to let go of his pride for this one. "Please!"

"You are staying here. They are perfectly good guardians. They are only trying to help you. You need to calm down and try with them too." She walks into the hallway to call, "Mr. and Mrs. Cote. We're done. I'm going to take my leave."

Vincent and Laurette come out of the bedroom with friendly looks on their faces. Laurette stops in the entrance to the room to chat with Ms. Newton. Vincent comes all the way in and takes a seat next to Kurt, much to close for comfort. "You're leaving? Won't you stay for dessert?" Laurette asks.

"So sorry, I can't. I must be going. But, you three enjoy it. Thank you for dinner." Ms. Newton responds. "I'll be back in a few weeks for the next check-up."

"How regularly will these be?" Vincent asks innocently.

Ms. Newton buys it. "Every three or four weeks. When I can schedule them in. For at least six months. Then we may be able to discuss full custody and we won't have to bother with them anymore. Anyway, thank you. You have been gracious hosts. I should go now. Goodbye. Goodbye, Kurt." She walks out the door.

Vincent and Laurette bid her friendly goodbyes. The second the door shuts, however, their faux smiles disappear and they both give Kurt dirty looks. Laurette comes fully into the living room and to the window. She peers out for a few minutes before turning back to the men sitting on the loveseat; Kurt has a stray thought of how inappropriate that name is at the moment. "She's gone." Laurette announces.

The glares of the both of them are oppressive to Kurt. He shifts and says in a rush, "Well then, I guess it's over. I'll go back to school now. Bye."

Vincent's steely grip wraps into Kurt's vest and pulls him down before he has half a chance to get up. "I don't think so. You little pest." Laurette walks menacingly over to him with those clicking stilettos. "Did you really think we couldn't hear every word you said to her from our room? You've been a disobedient little boy. You broke the rules. So now you'll take the punishment. After all we wouldn't be very good 'parental figures' if we let you get away with things, would we?" She mocks.

Kurt's breathing shallows. 'Please, not the car' he begs internally. He daren't speak it aloud; that would only encourage her.

"I told you what would happen if you disobeyed me. Unfortunately, if I cut off your funds or took you out of a school we told her you were doing well in, she might get suspicious and look into it. We'll have to come up with some other punishment that she won't suspect." Laurette paces around, thinking.

"How about we use the kid's idea. He's already tried and failed to convince her of me hitting him. Let's keep with what's working." Vincent suggests.

Kurt does not like this idea at all. He tries to make a break for it. Vincent still has a firm grip on his vest though; so, he fails before he has a chance. Vincent simply reels him back in and grips him harder. Laurette has turned and is looking at him with a victorious smirk that Kurt can only describe as evil. She chuckles darkly, "It's perfect. Like the boy who cried wolf. She'll never believe him if he tries to tell her, because she already doesn't."

"You can't!" Kurt screams.

"Shut up!" Laurette responds. "Anything else you say or do tonight will only result in us adding to your punishment. And you've already got heaps to be punished for tonight. Let's count; shall we? Over twenty minutes late; dressed in horrendous gay scarf and boots…"

"Which I did promise he'd never see again." Vincent adds with a sneer.

"No! That's a $200 scarf; you have to give it back!" Kurt protests.

"Right." Laurette ignores him and continues her list, lifting another finger for each deed she deems punishable. "…an impolite greeting to our guest; trying to tell her we don't like having him around; a few incredibly rude comments about us not being family; causing such a ruckus about me stepping on his foot; and then that horrible interview, trying to get us in trouble, insulting our home; not to mention that filthy little secret we learned about him, being gay. Nine offenses, nine hits. Sound about right, Vinny?"

Kurt's attempt to protest is thwarted by Vincent's great arm wrapping around his lower face, muffling his voice and making breathing difficult. "Sounds great, Pet. Might even be enough to get out my aggression, since I wasn't able to go to the gym today." Vincent says.

"I don't think it would be amiss to add a few extra in there for his general stubborn disobedience." She says.

"Seems fair. So, let's make that a 12? Maybe 13?" Kurt screams uselessly into the smelly arm trapping him. He can't seem to wriggle his way out of the hold either.

Laurette shrugs with a malicious smile. "He's all yours, Vinny." She says overly sweet and takes a seat on the couch, watching on expectantly.

Vincent stands, dragging the writhing Kurt with him. He manhandles the small teen against a wall and holds him firm. "Listen, Scrap. You're going to stand here and take what I give you. If you try to fight or run, if you so much as scream then I'll keep on giving you more."

Kurt doesn't get a chance to retort with the vicious protest he had on the tip of his tongue. Blunt pain sinks into his shoulder with Vincent's massive fist. Two more of the same follow into his clavicle and arm. Kurt cries out. Each blow nocks him back into the wall behind him. The fourth hit is to his chest and winds him. He collapses to the ground choking on air.

"Get up, Filth!" the violent man demands.

A sharp kick follows up into his stomach. The breathing problem is not improved. Kurt stays down; hopping it will discourage Vincent. No such luck. The monstrous man lifts Kurt up from the ground. Kurt remains hunched over, arms wrapped around himself to protect his already aching torso.

Both of Vincent's hands come down at once on Kurt's back. He drops face-first to the floor. Then is kicked over onto his back to look up at the raging brute above him. "stop. stop. please." He pants out quietly.

"Get up and take what's coming to you." Vincent demands.

"please, stop. stop."

"Shut up. Quit being such a baby. That was only five. You've got a lot more to pay."

"Seven." Kurt protests. "That was seven."

"Kicks don't count. Those are for being uncooperative." Vincent says and stomps down hard on Kurt. Kurt cries out in pain. "GET UP!"

Kurt is once again dragged to his feet. He whimpers, up against the wall again with no way out. Vincent rains down four more punches in addition to a whole slew of the most spiteful derogatory names imaginable on Kurt's elfin frame and ears. By that ninth blow Kurt is slowly sinking down the wall and shielding himself to the best of his ability. Also, suppressing the sobs and tears bubbling barely beneath the surface. A heavy weight crushes his foot, the same one Laurette had dug her heel into. The pain is enough that the tears finally escape along with a high-pitched scream and Kurt falls once again to his tormentor's feet.

Instead of demanding the boy get up again, Vincent lowers himself to his knees and leans over the weeping boy. He drives his fist once again into Kurt's ribcage. "You're not going to be such a pest next time. Are you?" One punch to an arm. "Not going to be late." Another to the chest. "Or rude." Another to the ribs. "Going to be obedient next time, aren't you? AREN'T YOU!?" Vincent demands as he gets to his feet.

Kurt doesn't answer; he whimpers and curls up in pain and fear. The abuse is over. It's over, he tries to convince himself. However, the final kick to the side of his head doesn't help him believe it. Sparks swim across his vision. Warm saliva splats against his face twice. Laurette and Vincent then leave him lying on the floor alone. He takes the moment to get out of there.

It's slow going as his body protests each movement. He doesn't bother looking for his scarf or boots; he can buy more. He just has to escape. He takes the elevator down and eventually limps his way to his car.

Kurt holds it together during the twenty-ish minute drive back to campus, barely. But the second the car is off, the dam breaks. Each sob racking through his body reintroduces the pain at every point of impact. It hurts so bad. And the terror lingers in his shaking.

He's never wanted his dad as much as in this moment. To hold him. To heal the pain and soothe the fear. If he was here, he'd never have let this happen. If he'd been here this never would have happened. That just makes it so much worse. The salt in the wound.

Kurt's never felt so lonely. No matter what he wants, the pain and anguish are Kurt's only companions as he sobs himself dry in the driver's seat of his car.


	16. Bruises

Hello dear readers, thank you for enduring the evils of the last couple chapters. Now, as promised, an extra long chapter full of Klaine. Yay! Even a few hours early.

Please read and review. Enjoy some cute crushing and comfort of our favorite two favorite gays.

Disclaimer: I don't own Klaine. :(

Kurt wakes the next morning to a knocking on his car window. He startles up and looks out the window. Blaine is peering through the tinted glass and looks relieved when he sees Kurt sit up. Kurt rubs his sleepy eyes and opens the car door. "Kurt! Thank God, I found you. We've been trying to call you all night. Nick got worried when you didn't come back. Did you sleep in here? Were you late for curfew?"

Kurt shakes his head against the onslaught of words from the other boy. "Woah, Blaine, Slow down. I just woke up. What are you saying?"

"Well that answers the first question. Were you…?" Blaine stops and looks in shock to a spot above Kurt's eyes when Kurt rubs his hair back out of his face. "Oh my god! What happened Kurt?"

Kurt looks at him confused. "Huh?"

"Your head." Blaine says and reaches out to touch a spot above Kurt's left temple, just in his hairline. Kurt flinches in surprised pain at the contact. "Sorry. Are you okay?"

Kurt reaches up to the spot and can feel a bump there. He remembers the kick he received there last night. "Ow." He says.

"What happened?" Blaine asks.

"I- nothing." Kurt says too quickly.

Blaine raises an eyebrow in clear disbelief. "Kurt?"

"It's nothing." Kurt hops out of the door and bumps into Blaine, who is standing too close to the car. A throb runs up his leg. His right foot nearly gives out under him. Luckily, Blaine is there to steady him.

"Kurt?" Blaine frets in alarm.

Kurt's entire torso flares up in pain as well. He can't suppress the "Ow" that escapes and his hand instinctively clutches his hip, where the pain in worst.

"Kurt?" Blaine asks looking even more worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." Kurt says. But he keeps grimacing.

"Let me see." Kurt shakes his head at Blaine. "Please, you're hurt." Blaine begs with a firm look into Kurt's eyes. He pulls the older boy's shirt up enough to see on Kurt's hip a nasty purple bruise in a quite distinct shape. "That's a shoe. Kurt, did someone hurt you?" Kurt knows it rhetorical so he doesn't say anything. Only, looks with teary eyes into Blaine's sweet honey ones. Blaine puts his hand on Kurt's shoulder and look seriously at him. "Who did this? You were at you Aunt's last night; and you said you don't get along. Kurt, don't turn away, look at me. Did she do this to you?"

Kurt shakes his head. "No. No." He gasps out.

"Then who did? Who hurt you?" Blaine asks.

Kurt opens his mouth but can't say anything. He doesn't want to lie to Blaine, nor does he think he can lie convincingly enough to make Blaine believe him. His lip trembles.

"Did your aunt kick you?" Blaine leads. Kurt shakes his head. "Then who did?... Kurt, please."

"Her husband." Kurt says in a tiny whisper. Blaine's look darkens even more than it was. He pulls on Kurt. "What are you doing?" Kurt asks, limping along behind the younger boy.

"We are going to tell someone about this."

"No!" Kurt pulls back. "No, please. Please, don't tell anyone."

"Kurt, we have to tell someone. We can get you help." Blaine says.

"No. You can't tell. You'll just make it worse. I already tried to tell, that's why he beat me. I told my social worker about them and she won't do anything. No one will do anything. I tried." Kurt says. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"Kurt…" Two pairs of opposing eyes beg the other to concede. Blaine's face is crumples in despair. "…fine. But, you have to tell me everything. And let me help you with your bruises. Do that and I won't tell anyone else."

Kurt agrees silently with a nod. Blaine sighs in relief and pulls Kurt to his dorm room. He sits Kurt down on his bed and goes about the room, opening drawers and cupboards, as if he's searching for something. He must find it; because he walks back with something in his hand that appears to be some kind of lotion. Blaine takes a seat in front of Kurt on the bed. He squirts some of the cream onto a couple of his fingers and touches them to Kurt's head injury. Kurt flinches away, the bruise is very tender. "What's that?" he asks.

"It's Arnica cream, it will help your bruise fade faster." Blaine says. "I know it hurts but you've got to let me rub it in."

Kurt leans forward, smoothing back his hair to keep it as much out of the way as he can. Blaine takes this as an invitation to apply the ointment. Kurt can tell that he's trying to be gentle but it still hurts a bit. Blaine pulls away. "Now let me get the one on your hip." He says

Kurt hesitates. He knows there are more than that one hidden beneath his shirt. Showing Blaine will only make the gel-lover more upset. But, he did promise he'd tell Blaine everything and let him help him. He slowly takes off his vest and undoes the buttons of his shirt from top to bottom, exposing the numerous bruises of varying severity. They're ugly and Kurt is worried about how long it will take to get them all to fade from his porcelain skin.

Blaine looks sad, shocked and angry all at once. He leans over to his desk and grabs his phone. He snaps a photo of Kurt with his shirt open. Kurt pulls it shut quickly. "What are you doing?" He asks.

"Collecting evidence." Blaine says. He tries to pull the shirt back open.

"You promised you wouldn't tell." Kurt says.

Blaine sighs. "I know. But if we ever figure out how to get you out of this we'll need photographic evidence. I won't show anyone. I'll email them to myself and delete them from my phone. I promise."

Kurt gives in and lets Blaine take half a dozen or so photos of his bruises. "That should be enough. Now rub that stuff on my other bruises before someone else shows up." Kurt says.

He decides to lay down so Blaine can have better access and less flinching from Kurt. Blaine is gentle once more. But, the second he touches Kurt's chest Kurt shudders. Not from pain. He is suddenly very aware that the cutest boy he's ever met is straddling his thighs while Kurt is half naked; and that said boy is about to run his hands all over Kurt's half naked body. Kurt flushes from his face down to his chest. With pale skin and his shirt off, Blaine notices.

"Sorry. Did that hurt? Was it too much?" Blaine asks.

"It's not that. It's just…" Kurt says. He gestures his hand between the two of them. "…this."

Blaine runs his eyes across Kurt's figure to where he is sitting, and seems to realize what Kurt is talking about. Then he too blushes deep. "Oh, uh um…is this uncomfortable for you? I can…" he pulls to one side, moving to get off of Kurt.

"No, no, no." Kurt says. As embarrassed as he is, he isn't uncomfortable. He doesn't want Blaine to get off. "It's fine. Just- Just… you know."

"Right" Blaine resumes his position. "How about I just…"

He begins rubbing the cream into the bruises. Kurt struggles to breathe through the experience. Blaine's hands are warm, in contrast with the cold cream. And the way he's leaning over Kurt to reach all the bruises is… arousing?

At one point, Blaine is working on a bruise on Kurt's shoulder. The hand not applying the cream is on the opposite side of Kurt's head, supporting the tan boy's weight. His face is inches in front of Kurt's; and Kurt finds himself studying the little details of Blaine's face. The moderate down curve of his nose, the shadow of facial hair on his cheeks, how his ears are just a tad small, his thick and strangely triangular eyebrows that should not be as cute as they are, the perfect shade of pink his lips are, and the shimmer of green in his golden-brown eyes. Oh crap! Blaine's looking back at him.

Those honey eyes are staring back into his own glasz ones, mere inches away. So close, their breaths should be mingling, if either boy were breathing at the moment. Their noses are nearly brushing against each other, as well as other, lower, places. If either were to move forward at all, Kurt could find out if those lips are as soft and delicious as they look.

Blaine gasps and sits up quickly. He opens and closes his mouth, fumbling for words. "I-I… um, I need to, um… get this bad one." He indicates the huge one on Kurt's hip. "I- I'm uh- I need to…" Blaine gently tugs on the waist-band of Kurt's pants. Part of the bruise is covered by them.

"Okay. Right." Kurt sounds shrill to his own ears.

Blaine gently slides them down a few inches. He squirts some more Arnica onto his fingers and then hesitates, his hand not touching Kurt's hip. Kurt gets why. This spot is so much more intimate, and after what just happened… "It's okay." He whispers.

Blaine places his fingers down and begins rubbing. Kurt jumps violently. "Dear Gaga! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Blaine yanks his hand. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to." His brow creases in worry.

Kurt shakes his head. "It's not you. This one just hurts like hell." He gasps.

"I'm sorry. I'll be more gentle." Blaine says.

"You're fine. Just do it quick and give me something to squeeze." Kurt says.

Blaine's hand slips into Kurt's. "Let me know if it gets to be too much." Blaine says.

Then he continues applying the arnica. Kurt shuts his eyes, bites his lip and squeezes Blaine's hand. Whenever Kurt squeezes more tightly Blaine pauses and waits for him to loosen up before continuing. Finally, it's over and Kurt can breathe easy.

He sits up on the bed and pulls his shirt back on. Blaine is sitting next to him now. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Kurt sighs and glances away from the other boy. His gaze flicks to the alarm clock on Jeff's desk. "Later." He promises. Blaine seems dissatisfied. "I need to go get in my uniform or we'll be late to class. We've already pretty much missed breakfast. But, I'll explain everything after school."

"Alright." Blaine consents. "You're right. We should get you over to your room. The guys are probably there and we need to tell them I found you."

When Wes closes out the Warblers' rehearsal that afternoon Blaine is on Kurt immediately. "Now we talk. Come on. You owe me a big explanation."

Kurt follows Blaine dutifully across campus. They end up in Kurt and Nick's room as both of their roommates have gone to Blaine and Jeff's. They sit down on Kurt's bed. After the morning they had together Kurt is very conscious of how close he and Blaine sit. It's normal for them to sit hip to hip. But, something is different; and it's more than how cautious Blaine is being of Kurt's injuries. The shorter boy faces the taller and gives him an expectant yet not impatient look.

Kurt mentally prepares himself. "Okay. So, my uncle and aunt are kind of…uh…"

"Abusive." Blaine supplies at Kurt's hesitation.

"Yeah. That."

"So? Tell me what happened?" Blaine requests.

Kurt sighs. "You know my mom died when I was little; and my dad more recently. I was going to live with Carole, my dad's girlfriend, but she wasn't allowed to take me in because we're not 'family' by blood or marriage. The only relatives I have on my dad's side are my grandpa, who is in a nursing home, and my Aunt Laurette. My mom's family live rather far away; most of them are in California, around Fresno. None of them were viable options. So, my aunt Laurette and her husband got me. From the beginning they were horrible." Kurt breathes deeply, his eyes stinging with tears. "It started the night after my dad's funeral…"

Kurt proceeds to describe everything that had happened to him in the past few weeks; missing no details. It just comes pouring out. Blaine listens silently. He also keeps a reassuring hold on Kurt's hands with his own. The warmth helps Kurt not to break down throughout the tale.

"…then they both spit on my face and left me there. I got to my car as fast as I could and came back here. That's where you found me this morning." Kurt finishes.

Blaine remains sitting with despair etched into his handsome features. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, absorbing the atrociousness of what he'd heard. "Oh gosh, Kurt." He mutters. "I can't believe… I'm so sorry." Kurt ducks away from the eye contact he holds with the other boy. Blaine raises his hands up to gently cup Kurt's cheeks. He doesn't force Kurt to look up yet. "I'm sorry you're going through this. I care about you Kurt; a lot. I don't like seeing you hurt."

Kurt flicks his eyes up. Blaine radiates with sincerity. Kurt leans in and Blaine pulls him closer until Kurt's resting his head on Blaine shoulder and they are wrapped securely in each other's arms. No tears fall from Kurt's eyes as they hold each other. All the weight he's been carrying around for weeks is momentarily lighter. The pain of his loss is still as present as ever, perhaps even more so with the fear gone. But, something about the guitar-calloused hands on his back and the warm neck his nose is pressed against make it easier to manage.

Kurt is not sure how long they sit like that. Continuously moving closer, holding tighter. Long enough that Blaine starts quietly singing.

"I know its all you've got to just be strong

and it's a fight just to keep it together

I know you think that you are too far gone

But hope is never lost

Hope is never lost

Hold on

Don't let go

He-e-ey

Hold on

Don't let go

Just stay

One step

Closer

One foot in front of the other

You'll get through this

Just follow the light in the darkness

You're gonna be okay

I know your heart is heavy from those nights

But, just remember that you are a fighter

A fighter

You never know just what tomorrow holds

You're stronger than you know

You're stronger than you know

Hold on

Don't let go

He-e-ey

Hold on

Don't let go

Just stay

One step

Closer

One foot in front of the other

You'll get through this

Just follow the light in the darkness

One step

Closer

One foot in front of the other

You'll get through this

Just follow the light in the darkness

You're gonna be okay

And when the night is closing in

Don't give up and don't give in

This wont last

It's not the end

It's not the end

You're gonna be okay

When the night is closing in

Don't give up and don't give in

This won't last

It's not the end

It's not the end

You're gonna be okay"

Leaning into Blaine, listening to those soft lyrics, causes Kurt to slip slowly back in time. Back to when none of this existed. To the moments when he was little, when his mom held him and sang him sweet lullabies. Those tears he hadn't felt the need to cry before are slowly released. He breathes deeply and nuzzles into the warm body holding him. It doesn't matter if it's really his mom or if its Blaine; the solace is there. Blaine then takes Kurt by surprise. He presses a tender kiss to the fragile boy's temple, below the bruise there. It wakes Kurt from his daydream/memory. Those lips really are as soft as they look. He would really like to feel them again. But maybe that's not an appropriate thought at the moment.

He sits up from where his head now rests on Blaine's chest. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize." Blaine says and pulls a pack of tissues from his pocket and offer one to Kurt. "I don't know what you're going through Kurt. But I want to help you, if I can. So, you don't need to apologize for your feelings, not to me, ever." Blaine smiles a kind smile at Kurt.

"Thank you, Blaine."

"Anytime." Blaine vows.

They breathe together in silence for a moment, coming down from their emotional state.

"Any homework you have this afternoon, get it done quickly. We've got the Warblers Halloween party tonight." Blaine says.

"I thought that was supposed to be last night."

"It was. But we figured we couldn't have it without our newest Warbler. So, we thought we should have it today; even though Halloween was yesterday."

"That's really nice of you guys. I'll have to find something to wear." Kurt smiles.

"I'm sure you've got something in that closet of yours. You'll probably be the best dressed there." Blaine compliments.


	17. Halloween

_Welcome, friends and readers to chapter 17. There's a little bit of angst and some random Halloween fun, some Kurt+ Nick friendship, and Klaine (obviously). I mostly wrote this chapter for the fun of it and added the Birthday plot bite in when i learned that Mike O'Mally's birthday is Halloween._

 _Hope you enjoy. As always, feel free to review. I love hearing from you guys._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean or the song 'I will not say goodbye'. Those rights belong to a variety of people far cooler than me._

Yesterday, Kurt hadn't given a single thought to the fact that it was Halloween. Halloween has always been his favorite holiday. Not just because of the excuse to wear gaudy clothes, it's his dad's birthday. It had been one of his family's biggest celebrations of the year. He hadn't just forgot about the holiday but about his dad's birthday.

Kurt sits in front of the bathroom mirror chastising himself. Guilt wracks his body. He's spent the last few hours rummaging through his closet and make up to come up with a costume. Normally he has a self-made costume ready at least a week before the day. But, why does it matter? He hasn't got his dad a present. He hasn't gone to visit his dad or wished him a happy birthday. Not even four weeks and he's already forgetting his dad.

His head thunks down on the counter in front of him. He groans. "Hey, Kurt. You about done with your costu… Are you okay?" Nick asks as he enters the bathroom.

Kurt straightens up with a nod. He picks up his eyeshadow compact and begins applying it. He lifts his lips in an incredible failure of a grin.

"Mhmm" Nick raises an eyebrow, sounding unconvinced. "Come on Kurt. Drop the make-up. What's wrong?"

Kurt's posture sags. He looks up at Nick through the mirror. "It's my dad…" He proceeds to tell his roommate his worries. "…I'm the worst son in the world!" he cries dramatically.

"No, you're not." Nick assures. "You've had a crazy few weeks, and it slipped your mind. At least you have a good excuse. I forget my parent's birthday's all the time; I'm always left scrambling for a last-minute present."

"I never forget. I don't want to forget him."

"You won't. He's your dad; you won't ever forget him."

"It feels like I am!" Kurt sobs.

Nick sighs and rubs Kurt's shoulder to comfort him. "You and your dad were close?"

"Yeah."

"He loved you? Cared about your happiness?" Nick directs. Kurt nods. "Then I think the best birthday present you could give him this year, since you've just lost him, is to go out and have fun. From what you've told me about him, he wouldn't want you to be miserable and lonely forever. Show him that though you miss him, you aren't going to break because of it; you're too strong for that, Kurt. Give him the gift of your smile. A genuine, untainted smile."

Kurt considers him for a minute. "I think he'd like that. I'll try."

Nick smiles. "Good on ya. Now, sing whatever sad little song you need to to get your mopey-ness out and finish this costume. The party starts in 15 minutes."

That's not nearly enough time. Kurt takes the white-dye hairspray to his coif immediately. As he finishes up his costume touches he decides to take Nick's advise and sing a song.

"Sometimes the road just ends

It changes everything you've been

And all there's left to be

Is empty,

Broken,

Lonely,

Hopin,

I'm supposed to be strong

I'm supposed to find a way to carry on

I don't want to feel better

I don't want to not remember

I will always see your face

In the shadows of this haunted place

I will laugh

I will cry

Shake my fist at the sky

But I will not say goodbye

They keep saying time will heal

But the pain just gets more real

The sun comes up each day

Finds me waiting,

Fading,

Hating,

Praying

If I could keep on holding on

Maye I could keep my heart from knowing that you're gone

I don't want to feel better

I don't want to not remember

I will always see your face

In the shadows of this haunted place

I will laugh

I will cry

Shake my fist at the sky

But I will not say goodbye

I will curse

I will pray

I'll relive everyday

I will shoulder the blame

I will shout out your name

I will laugh

I will cry

Shake my fist at the sky

But I will not say

Will not say goodbye

Will not say goodbye

I will not say

Oh-oh-ooh-ooo"

He feels a little better. He breathes in and steps out of the bathroom all dressed up in a pair of skinny jeans, his Alexander McQueen tied neck blouse (fashion has no gender), and buckled leather ankle boots; all in white, matching his hair. His face is pale enough, he figures he doesn't need to cover it all in make-up; he just adds some dark shadowing around his eyes. The sad ghost boy costume seems sadly fitting for him. Regardless of how poetic it is, he is determined to enjoy this party. For his dad.

The Warblers' rehearsal hall is ringing with music. Kurt walks in with Nick, who is dressed up as Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean. Jeff, who has clearly already started eating candy, bounds over to them in his 'Captain Jack Sparrow' costume. "NICKY!" he exclaims and jumps at his boyfriend for a big, wet kiss. "You look awesome babe!" he compliments and turns to look at Kurt. "Wow! You look really cool too, Kurt."

"Thanks Jeff. You two make a lovely couple in those outfits." Kurt says.

Jeff squeals, "Come on, lets get this party started." He pulled the two roommates into the group of Warbler boys, and their significant others, who are dancing around and stuffing their faces with sweets.

The three of them are greeted enthusiastically by the others when they join the group. Wes and David are there, the latter with a pretty blonde girl hanging off his arm, and the former looking slightly too jealous for his so-claimed sexuality. Richard is dancing like a madman next to them and Thad is stumbling off to a corner making out with his girlfriend; at least Kurt hopes that's his girlfriend. They're all dressed in ridiculous, elaborate costumes.

Kurt notes the lack of Blaine immediately. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait long to find the other boy. He can hear the lead singer whooping and two more boys burst into their circle. One is dressed as the grim reaper, whom Kurt rapidly places as Trent. The other is dressed in black robes with the Gryffindor house crest on the chest, a red scarf around his neck, and a lightning scar is drawn on his forehead. Dark wild curls sit atop his head as well. Sweet Gucci, Blaine looks so hot without gel. Kurt is frozen in awe, staring at him. Blaine catches his eye and looks Kurt up and down. He freezes up and nearly drops the cauldron of candy he's carrying.

Wes smirks and throw his arm around Blaine's shoulder. "Hey, dude! Doesn't Kurt look hot?" Wes asks, he's really not helping his "I'm-not-gay" argument with comments like that.

The flustered Blaine stutters out a, "Yeah… totally. Kurt you look se- uh- amazing."

Kurt blushes. "You too." He quietly replies, biting his bottom lip.

Blaine gasps slightly. Why, Kurt doesn't know. They continue to stare at each other for some measure of time, Kurt is not keeping track. Long enough to get a little awkward. They both blush and fidget, holding each other's eyes.

Blaine collects himself enough to break the time-spell over them. He holds out his cauldron. "Red-vine?" Kurt allows himself to let go of his regular dietary restraints against processed sugar for the night and takes the offered licorice.

Everyone around them dissolves into giggles. "What?" Kurt and Blaine ask the others simultaneously.

"This is going to take longer than we thought." David comments.

"Can I change my bet?" Wes asks.

"No!" the other boys rebuke.

"What are you guys talking about?" Blaine speaks Kurt's shared thought.

"Nothing." The rest deny too quickly to be believable.

Kurt raises one immaculate eyebrow. He and Blaine share a look; agreeing that neither of them can be expected to understand the insanity of the other boys in the group. Kurt steals another piece of candy from Blaine's cauldron and the party goes on.

Kurt eats so much candy that he just knows his pores will be clogged for the next half week at least. But, he can't bring himself to say 'no' to Blaine every time the curly-haired nerd offers him something new.

When they're not stuffing their mouths with chocolate bars and gummy eyes they are dancing to the beat. Blaine, Kurt notes, has an unusual habit of jumping onto the furniture to dance; and occasionally falling off it due to his wild moves. Kurt calls a stop to Blaine's antics after he nearly falls off the back of a couch into the food table. "You're going to hurt yourself." Blaine pouts about it. Kurt tugs him further into the crowd and begins jumping and shimmying; Blaine gives in and joins him. They dance together late into the night.

The party goes on till after 11 and only stops when the night janitor, Mr. Gilbert, comes in and shuts them down. All those Warblers with visiting girlfriends see the girls out with much grumbling. The rest make their own ways to their rooms. Kurt gives a lingering goodnight hug to Blaine while they both wait for their respective roommates to finish their good-nights as well.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself tonight." Nick comments to him when they are back in their dorm divesting themselves from their costumes and make-up.

Kurt yawns before answering. "I did. It was really fun." He sleepily drags a moist towelette across his face.

"I think it would've made your dad happy to see you like that." Nick says as he drops his clothes and crawls into bed.

Unlike Nick, Kurt takes enough time to carefully put his clothes into his laundry basket and wash out his hair. He gets thinking as he does. Nick is right. For those few hours of the party he had nearly forgotten all his problems. His dad would have been happy for that. He tugs his lips up in a small, genuine, and only a little sad smile and silently thanks his now snoring roommate.


	18. One of the girls

_Hey guys. Who's ready to go back to Lima for a weekend? For both this chapter and the next Kurt will be back home with his friends and family. First up is a short visit to McKinley and a girls' night! Friends all around! Giggles, gossip and Brittany's genius advice that no one takes seriously. Mostly happy feeling this chapter. Next chapter will be more angsty._

 _Read and review please. Enjoy! See you next week._

 _Disclaimer: i don't own anything._

Friday afternoon, Kurt packs up an overnight bag with vigor. He is already running late as is. He tosses the back over his shoulder and dashes to the door. It opens into his nose before he has time to react. He stumbles back and Nick comes in, apologies streaming from his mouth. Kurt checks his nose for blood. Upon finding none he brushes it off and makes for the door again. "Where are you going in such a rush?" Nick asks.

Kurt pauses briefly. "Home. For a couple nights. I'll be back sometime on Sunday."

"Okay. Cool. Have fun."

"Thanks. I will. I'll see you in a couple days." Moving out the door.

"Wait! Kurt!" Nick calls, following Kurt into the hall. "If you get in after curfew again, call me. I'll let you in. You don't have to sleep in your car again."

Kurt's heart swells with appreciation at Nick's gesture. Though it is based on the story Kurt and Blaine had told the others about last weekend. He turns bac for a quick hug. "Thanks, Nick." He smiles. "Bye!"

His roommate returns the sendoff as Kurt runs down the hall.

Kurt's dancing in his seat and singing along to the radio at the top of his lungs as he drives down the highway. By the time he's pulling into McKinley's parking lot he's bouncing with giddiness. Like he promised Mercedes, he's here to see their performance of Rocky Horror. Though the performance is just for the glee club, he is still invited. He walks briskly towards the auditorium.

He's feeling elated at the moment. He should know that his luck isn't that good. Out of the blue, or rather the red, a meaty shoulder checks him into the wall of lockers. He falls to the dirty floor. Two malicious laughs that he had not missed rang out above him. The two jocks in their letterman jackets stand menacingly over him. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. The fag is back." Azimio sneers.

"Thought we were rid of him. Too bad we don't have a slushy on us." Karofsy taunts. "Hey, fairy! What happened to you? Where did you go?"

"Better question: Why did you come back?" Azimio asks.

Kurt glares up at them. "None of your freaking business. Just leave me alone, you cretins."

"What did he just call us?" Azimio wonders.

"I don't know. But it sounded insulting." Karofsky sneer at him. "I think he's been gone too long. He needs a reminder who is top dog here."

Karofsky kicks him. It's not as strong as Vincent's kicks, but he is still recovering from that beating so it still hurts. He curls onto his side, trying to protect his still very bruised hip, preparing for a beat down.

It doesn't come. Finn solidifies his promotion to Kurt's hero by running down the hall yelling at them to go away. Puck is right behind him and doesn't hesitate to send a punch their way. The two bullies scurry off spitting threats behind them. Finn drops to Kurt's side. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, fine." Kurt pushes himself up. Finn assists.

"Cool. C'mon, the show is about to start." Finn's enthusiasm flows over in his voice. "Everyone is so excited to see you!"

Kurt happily follows him down the hall, though more subdued than he'd been originally. In the auditorium Mr. Schue and a couple of the glee members were talking by the stage. Kurt, Finn and Puck approached them.

"KURT! White boy, you're here!" Mercedes squeals and rushes to hug him. A sparkly red Tina follows closely behind.

"We've missed you, Kurt." Tina adds.

He hugs them back tightly. Oh, how he'd missed his girls. A hand comes to rest on his shoulder. "It's good to see you, Kurt." Mr. Schue says and gives him a hug as well. Then he turns to the others. "Places everyone." He directs.

Kurt sits with Mr. Schue, they're the only two people in the audience. He thoroughly enjoys the show. They do a great job. He applauds after each performance. They look like they are having so much fun. Kurt wishes he could be up there with them, especially during the Time-Warp. Still, it's nice just to be here. He jumps up at the end and cheers ardently.

Shortly after he finds himself the center of a group hug. He greets each of his friends. He gets numerous versions of the "are you okay?" question tossed his way. For once though, he doesn't mind. He's much to happy to see them all again. Only the new kid, Sam, doesn't participate, seeing as he and Kurt don't actually know each other. Instead, he sits on his own in those gold shorts on the edge of the stage watching them catch up.

Fifteen or so minutes later Mercedes shouts out. "My moms here! Time for 'Girls Night'! lets go!"

Kurt follows after his best friend with a promise to Finn that he'll be over to the Hudson's house by five the following night.

Once at Mercedes house the group of them; which consists of Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Rachel, Brittany, Santana, and Quinn; threw a bunch of pillows and blankets on the hostess' bedroom floor and change into their pajamas. They sit around on the pillows doing each other's hair and nails. Kurt is brushing though Brittany's soft blonde locks.

"So, Kurt, Mercedes told us you're going to some fancy private school." Tina says.

"I am. It's called D-"

"Who cares what it's called?" Santana interrupts. "She also told us it's an all boy school and that you live in a dorm with other gay boys. Have you got it on with any of them?"

Kurt blushes. "No! Absolutely not! I've only been there a few weeks."

"Exactly. Get a move on." Santana says.

"I'm not some floozy who goes around kissing anyone and everyone I can. They're just my friends." Kurt protests.

"Oh, really? Even that 'sweet, nice, cute Blaine'? The one with 'dreamy eyes' and-"

"Shut up, Mercedes." Kurt's blush deepens.

All the other girls go "Oooooo!"

"Who's Blaine?" Quinn asks.

"No one." Kurt says.

"He's this boy that Kurt likes. Kurt's told me all about him." Mercedes dives into all the stories Kurt has told her about Blaine over the past couple weeks. He buries his face in his hands as she mocks his voice repeating everything he told her about Blaine's best features. "…his eyes are like honey, he gives the best hugs, he smells so good, he loves broadway, his hands are so warm, I want to kiss his pretty lips…" Her mocks descend further into exaggerations. When she gets to the story about them falling asleep together watching Harry Potter he puts a stop to it.

The others look stunned. "You slept with him?" Rachel asks

"No. I slept on him. There's a big difference." He says.

"Wanky"

"Why don't you ask him out Kurtie; if you like him so much?" Brittany asks.

"Because he doesn't like me that way. Why would he? I'm always mopey and sad. It's not attractive. Besides, it's not a good time for me to try dating." His mood deflates. Around him the laughter and teasing faces stop. Most of the look dejected and guilty.

Except Brittany. "Why not?" she asks innocently.

"Britt." Santana chastises. "His dad died."

"I know. And that's really sad cause he loved his daddy and his daddy loved him. but that doesn't mean he can't love somebody else and somebody else can love him. He still loves us and we love him. That didn't change because his daddy died." She then turns to look at him. "Maybe this dolphin Blaine can make him feel better."

She smiles at him, too naïve to get it. He just smiles back and hugs her. "Maybe so, Boo. But I don't think I'm ready for that." Her smile turns to a little frown. She kisses his cheek.

They move onto less emotional topics. At about midnight they turn on a movie and fall asleep in their makeshift beds. The next day the other girls leave before noon, just after they wake up. Only Kurt and Mercedes are left. So, they decide to do the only logical thing to do with as fashionista BFF's and go shopping.

At the mall later that afternoon. "Mercedes you have to try this top on! It's perfect for your skin tone!" he squeals.

"Okay. Get something for you too and we can do a fashion show!" Mercedes agrees

The hours slip by like sand as they compares colors and matches accessories. It's very therapeutic.

Once Kurt finally looks at the time; it's after 4:30! They have to rush back to her house to gather his things. They give fond yet reluctant farewells at her door. "Don't be a stranger." She begs.

"I won't." he swears. "We'll have to do this again. And I'll totally come watch you guys perform at Sectionals in a month."

"I'll hold you to that. See you later."

"Bye 'Cedes. Never stop being fabulous."

"As if I could."

A short drive later, Kurt pulls into the Hudson's driveway to a feeling of serenity. The door opens before he's even finished knocking. He finds himself in the loving arms of Carole. "Oh Kurt, I've missed you so much. I'm so glad you could come over."

"I missed you too." He whispers without letting go of her.

"Come on, Sweetie. Let's get started on dinner." Carole invites.

They fill the kitchen with delicious aroma and have the tilapia fillets and home-cut fries in the oven in no time. "I've missed cooking even more than I'd thought." Kurt comments as he cleans up the counter.

"I've missed having a partner to cook with." Carole returns, putting the ingredients away. "I thought you said they had a kitchen in your dorm?"

"They do. I haven't had much time or need to use it."

"Maybe you should find some." She advises.

He grins at her, glad to be back with girls this weekend.


	19. One Month

_New chapter! Lots of feels in this one. I'm sorry if I make you cry; but then again not really, that is kind the purpose of this chapter. It's the first monthiversary of Burt's death. :'( Now that he has settled into Dalton and his new normal Kurt will be dealing more with his grief and the side effects of it. But there will be happiness and silliness and Klaine, so it will be worth it._

 _Thanks so much to those of you who leave reviews every week. I love reading them. I'm glad you're all enjoying the story and hope you will stick with me until the end. Thank you and see you next week!_

 _Disclaimer: My mind is too dark a place to be the owner of the lightheartedness that is Glee._

Once Kurt and Carole have finished cleaning up their cooking mess he slumps into one of the chairs at the table. She joins him. "How are you doing? How's your new school and such?"

"Schools good. It's challenging; I finally feel like I'm actually learning in my classes. My new glee club is pretty cool. The kids are nicer than at McKinley. I've made friends; so, I'm not lonely. But still…" he sighs. "I never thought I'd miss Lima so much."

"I understand, Sweetie."

"I don't. All I ever wanted was to get out of this Cow-town. Now I just want to come back." He furrows his face up. His eyes are moistening.

Carole stands up and offers him a hand. "Tell you what, I'm going to get Finn to set the table and you and I are going to have a talk. Meet me on the couch." She pulls him up and directs him to the living room.

After setting the franken-teen on the dishes she comes to him with a cup of warm milk in her hand. "Okay. I'm going to ask you some questions so you can understand something. Okay?" he consents. "Do you miss McKinley?" he scrunches his face up in thought then shrugs. "You were bullied there; do you miss the bullies?"

"No!" he looks at her incredulously.

"I didn't think so. And you told me you prefer the curriculum at Dalton. So, what do you miss about McKinley?"

"The New Directions." His answer is immediate.

She nods. "Your friends." He nods too. "You don't miss McKinley as a place, you miss your friends that are there. It's the same thing for Lima. You don't miss the town. Or all the homophobes here." He shakes his head. "Do you miss all your things?" He shrugs and nods. "You miss your house?" he nods again. His eyes becoming more wet. "And you miss your parents." No answer is needed. Tears begin to leak from his eyes. She pulls him into her arms. "You don't miss Lima. But Lima is the only place you have, the only place you'll ever have, that you can associate with either of your parents. You'll never make any memories with them anywhere else. You miss them and all the time you had with them." She rocks him as he curls taunt in her lap. "Shh. It's okay. You need to breathe Kurt."

At her request he gasps in huge gulps of air and release a heart-tearing keen. He hasn't let himself cry like this at all at Dalton. No matter how much he likes Blaine nor how comfortable he is with him and the other boys there, he is still too much in need of their approval and friendship. He doesn't want them to judge him. So, he's maintained a semblance of control over his emotions. All those times he's cried in front of them were just cracks in his armor. Cracks he'd simply been plastering over; while he thought he was getting better. He'd not yet really opened himself up enough to any of them. He couldn't let them see him like this, so broken. He doesn't want them to think he's broken.

Regaining his normal breathing patterns and coming out of his grief induced haze he finds himself laying across the couch with his head in Carole's lap. Finn is fidgeting in the chair across the room. He sits up sniffing and exhausted. "You okay, Kurt sweetie?" Carole asks, rubbing his back.

He nods. The oven timer goes off in the kitchen. "Yeah. I'm better. Dinner's ready."

"Finally!" Finn cheers. "I'm starving."

Kurt rolls his eyes fondly and Carole chuckles. Dinner is delicious. The rest of the night is filled with catching up and playing family games.

Kurt jolts awake early the next morning. His ears still ring with Ms. Pillsbury's words _"I'm so sorry Kurt. The hospital called. He's gone. He just slipped away…"._ Every nerve ending in his body tingles, numb. He can't move. His breathing is slow and shallow. It's been a month. One month to the day. An unmeasured amount of time passes as he lies in his makeshift bed on the couch, completely still.

It must be a while. He can see the house lightening as the sun comes up. Hear Finn and Carole get out of bed and come down the hall. His back is facing out towards the room, but he can sense them stick their heads in to peak at him. They go to the kitchen for breakfast, quiche, one of his favorites. No appetite can be found in him. In fact, the thought of eating anything makes his stomach roll sickly.

Lumbering footsteps precede Finn's voice speaking into the living room. "Hey Kurt? Breakfast is ready." He says.

Carole is there just after. "No, Finn. Let him sleep." She pulls her son back to the kitchen.

Periodically through out the morning one of them peaks their head in to check on him. He stays where he is, not wanting to interact with anyone.

"Shouldn't we wake him? It's almost noon. I thought we were going to go do a bunch of stuff today?" Finn eventually asks.

"Let me get him up. Give us a few minutes, please." Carole shoos Finn away.

She moves in, kneeling on the floor by the couch and placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt? I know you're not asleep. Haven't been all morning; have you?" She pauses in her soft speech. He doesn't give any response. "I know you're hurting. But laying here all-day won't make it better. We're going to go pick up your grandpa. Come with us, please. Then we can get lunch and check on the garage. We can pick out some flowers and go to your parents' graves. Whatever you want to do." She waits again. "Would you rather just stay here? We can have an inside day. But, please, at least get up and eat something." He'd rather just melt into a puddle and die. Carole sighs sadly as he still doesn't respond. "I'll go get your grandpa and some lunch and bring them back." She stands up to walk out.

"Don't leave me. Please." He manages to whisper.

She comes back over. He's trembling as he slowly fights his tightened body to turn over. She helps him; pulling him right off the couch and into her arms. He burrows into her in an armadillo ball, begging her to not leave him. "I'm not going to leave you, baby. Never. I'm right here." She coddles.

Finn comes in a few minutes later. "Mom, are we gonna go?" He asks loudly then promptly shuts up at seeing them on the floor.

"Yes, Sweetie. Just a second." She nods then looks back down. "Kurt? Do you want to come with me? Or I can make Finn stay here with you. But, I won't let him go alone; because, well, you know how bad of a driver he is." She jokes.

Kurt clutches tighter to her jacket and says. "I-I want…I'll go with you."

"Okay." She helps him to his feet. Finn swoops in to help support him in getting to the front door as he's moving sluggish and clumsily. Carole helps him get his shoes and jacket on, leaving him otherwise in his pajama pants and his dad's shirt. Finn practically carries him to the car and lets Kurt lean against him in the back seat.

When they get to the assisted living center Finn moves to the front seat and Hubert takes his places in back. There he and Kurt cling to each other. Carole looks back at them and questions if they feel up to going out to eat or if they should just pick something up and go home. The two Hummels agree that home is better. They pick up some take-out and go back to the house.

Kurt barely takes a bite before his stomach turns in protest and he has to spit it back out. Carole sidles up to him. "Are you okay, Sweetie?"

"I don't feel good. My stomach hurts. I can't eat this." he whimpers.

"Okay," she murmurs, "how 'bout I make you something lighter? Some broth? Or toast? You need to eat something Kurt."

He groans and consents. She heats him up some canned chicken noodle soup. The broth is warm in his empty stomach and the noodles slip down like worms. The chicken chunks and carrots get avoided; they aren't worth the work to chew. Finn happily eats Kurt's portion of the take-out.

"What do you want to do today, Kurt?" Hubert asks when they're all finished up.

Kurt flicks his gaze from his grandpa to Carole. "Can we go to the shop, like you said? And the… the cem-cemetary?" His eyes sting.

"Of course, Sweetie. Whatever you want." She promises.

Kurt won't let them go anywhere until he at least gets dressed. The others wait patiently for him while he changes and does his hair, however halfhearted it is. Kurt's appearance adequate and a short drive later the group is at Hummel's tire and lube.

Once there, Finn wanders off to help some of his coworkers with one of the cars. The rest of them end up in the office. There they find the shop's new manager.

Tommy is one of the shops oldest employees. He had risen through the ranks in all his years here to become Burt's right-hand. There hadn't been any contest as to who Kurt chose to run the place now that he owned it.

Tommy looks up at their intrusion. He drops the paperwork he'd been going over. "Kurt? Hey Kid. Wasn't expecting to see you today. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Kurt answers automatically. "How are things going here?"

Tommy peers at him. "We're doing well. Business as usual. Are you wondering about something specific?"

Kurt shakes his head. "I don't know enough about this to understand most of the business jargon. I trust you have it all handled. That's why I left you in charge. I-we just came to visit."

"It's good to see you. That includes you two; Carole, Hubert. You're all welcome any time. You've got the run of the place, Kurt. It's your shop."

Kurt lifts his frown slightly. "Right, thanks. We won't be long."

They only stay for a quarter hour or so. Kurt spends a good chunk of time putting together a bouquet at the flower shop down the street once they get out of the garage. They have to be perfect to be worthy of decorating his parents grave.

The cold November air feels even more biting in the rows of gravestones at the cemetery. Each of them takes a turn talking to Burt, saying what they feel. That they all miss him. They stand by the headstone remembering until the cold wind picks up and they begin to shiver. They older three make their way to the car but Kurt stays rooted. Carole pauses to give him a questioning look. "Can I have a minute?" Kurt asks.

She nods and finishes her journey to the car. Kurt kneels down on the ground. "Dad? Mom? I don't know if you can hear me. I don't believe in heaven; but, I really want to believe that some part of you still exists somewhere. I hope you can hear me, because if I have to live knowing I'll never see either of you again, that you're just gone, I don't think I want to live. I can't live like that. It hurts too much. Life sucks without you here.

"I got beat last week. I didn't tell Carole or Grandpa about it; I don't want them to worry when there's nothing they can do about it. You could've done something about it. If you hadn't died I wouldn't have to deal with this. If not for that stupid heart attack! If you would have just taken better care of yourself, like I told you." Kurt begins raising his voice at the injustice. "But, you didn't. You left me here alone. It's all your fault! You left me! I need you, I need you both and… and… I can't do this! Why did you leave me?!" He folds over onto his knees, sobbing. "Please! Please, come back! I miss you. I need you. I can't keep living like this, without you here. Please…" He goes on begging. Curled on his knees in the nippy air.

Completely unaware of anything around him for the rest of the day. Somehow, he ends up back at the Hudson's for a while. And after dinner, well more of a few nibbles of food for him, he gets himself safely back to Dalton.

Wandering back to Woodsworth, he runs into his favorite Dalton boy. Blaine throws his arms around Kurt the second he sees him. He hugs him tight and Kurt returns it with relish. Blaine frantically asks, "Are you okay? Nick said you were home all weekend! Did they hurt you more?"

Kurt's look of confusion at Blaine's words dawns into comprehension and he shushes the rambling boy. "No, Blaine. I wasn't there. I was in Lima. With my friends and family."

Blaine loosens up in relief. "Oh, thank God! I thought you were… and you weren't picking up your phone… I thought… I was worried."

Kurt leans into hug Blaine and whispers into his ear. "I'm fine. Thank you for worrying."


	20. New Directions

_Chapter 20! 20 chapters, how do you feel about that? I think it's awesome, I can hardly believe I've made it this far. this is by far the longest story I have ever written and it's still got lots more coming. I have to thank you readers for that. You're encouragement (and the little plot monster in my head) keeps me going. This chapter is a silly, frivolous chapter taking place the week of Never Been Kissed._

 _Read and review please._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own the people or places in this story; only the evil plot monster. Nor do I own Teenage Dream._

Wes bangs his gavel on the podium to quiet the boys. "Warblers! First order of business today. We have received our competition for sectionals." The boys cheer. "First, 'The Hipsters'. A first-year glee club from the Warren township continuing education program."

"They're adults?" A senior with red hair named Andrew asks.

"They are all senior citizens getting their high school GED's." Wes says.

The boys all look at each other confused. "Old people?" someone asks.

"Yes." Wes says. "Now the other team to beat is a second-year choir from William McKinley High School in Lima," Kurt stares wide eyed at the council member upon hearing these words and the ones that follow. "The New Directions."

Some of the boys started laughing while others just looked appalled or confused. "Wait, what are they called?" Cameron asks.

"The New Directions." Wes repeats with the same enunciation.

More of the boys laugh this time around. Kurt glares at them knowing exactly what they're thinking, he's heard it from all the jocks who picked on the glee club at McKinley. "The Nude Erections?" The boy with the goatee asks.

At that almost all the boys begin laughing. Wes looks appalled at this statement; apparently, he didn't hear the words that way earlier. Blaine snorts and covers his mouth with hand, trying to look casual about it, as he does his best not to laugh, because that would be immature. And, of course, Kurt doesn't laugh. Instead he glares at everyone else, offended on behalf of his old team.

"The New D-i-rections." Kurt enunciates the 'I' with a scowl. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jesse."

Laughter continues around the room. Kurt sits back in the couch with a huff and his arms folded. Blaine leans in close to him and whispers in his ear. "What's up with you? Feeling a little defensive?"

"No. I'm fine. Shut up, Blaine." Kurt whispers back grouchy.

From across the room in his shared love-seat with his boyfriend, Nick speaks, "The New Directions? I think I've heard of them somewhere."

Andrew excitedly says. "You should have. They won their sectionals last year with only an hour to plan their setlist. It was all over the show choir blogosphere. Someone at their school leaked their setlist to the competition and the other teams stole their songs so they had to come up with brand new songs and choreography in their green room at the competition. Then they won, without the judges even knowing the other teams had cheated."

All the previously laughing boys are now staring in shock and disbelief. "Well then, that means they will be stiff competition. We have our work cut out for us." Thad decrees.

"Right. The council can talk to Headmaster Gooden so we can give a performance to the school this week." David suggests.

"Good, David." Wes agrees. "For now, let's rehearse. Teenage Dream?"

The boys all get into position. They practice their two-step and harmonies behind Blaine for the remainder of the hour.

The next day Kurt finds himself being pulled down the hallway by the hand by Blaine. The Warblers council had sent out a message to the school that the Warblers were giving a performance in the senior commons in a couple minutes. This was also the first time any of the other Warbler boys had heard of it too. Blaine says it's an 'impromptu performance' and that they do them occasionally. But it leaves the two of them racing down the grand staircase amidst a hundred other boys to get to their performance. "C'mon Kurt, I know a shortcut." Blaine says. They turn down an empty hall and run down it to the doors on the other end, leading to the senior commons.

There they find boys moving tables out of the way. They toss their bags off to the side and Blaine begins singing his lead-part.

"You think I'm pretty

without any make-up on.

You think I'm funny

when I tell the punchline wrong.

I know you get me;

So, I let my walls come down,

Down.

Before you met me

I was alright

But things were kind of heavy

You brought me to life.

Now every February

You'll be my valentine,

Valentine"

Blaine does a few free style dance moves as they all settle into their places; Blaine at front with Kurt adjacent to him.

"Let's go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love.

We can dance until we die

You and I

Will be young forever.

You make me feel like I'm living a

Teenage dream

The way you turn me on

I can't sleep

Let's run away and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

My heart stops

When you look at me

Just one touch

Now baby I believe this is real

So, take a chance and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

We drove to Cali

And got drunk on the beach

Got a motel and

Built a fort out of sheets

I finally found you,

My missing puzzle piece,

I'm complete.

Let's go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love

We can dance until we die

You and I

Will be young forever

You make me feel like I'm living a

Teenage dream

The way you turn me on

I can't sleep

Let's run away and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

My heart stops

When you look at me

Just one touch

Now baby I believe this is real

So, take a chance and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back"

Blaine repeatedly looks over his shoulder at Kurt as they sing. Once he even sends Kurt a sly little wink. Kurt's so distracted by the lead singer's flirtatious antics that for the majority of the song, he doesn't notice the blonde in the crowd who is in an outfit that is quite clearly not a uniform. It's the outfit that catches his attention first; then he recognizes the face atop it. That Sam kid who joined the New Directions after he'd left. He's so stunned he stumbles in his steps and stops singing along to the end of the song.

"Imma get your heart racing in my skintight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Let you put your hands on me in my skintight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Yeah

You make me feel like I'm living a

Teenage dream

The way you turn me on

I can't sleep

Let's run away and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

My heart stops

When you look at me

Just one touch

Now baby I believe this is real

So, take a chance and don't ever look back

Don't ever look back

Imma get your heart racing in my skintight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight

Let you put your hands on me in my skintight jeans

Be your teenage dream tonight."

The group of Warblers and onlookers dissolve into a mess of high-fives and cheers. Kurt keeps looking at Sam in disbelief. The New Directions had sent him to spy on the Warblers? Actually, that doesn't surprise him; he should've been expecting it.

Wes comes up beside him, "Hey, Kurt. What happened there in the end of the song? You messed up the steps."

Kurt shakes his head. "Yeah sorry. But that guy there" he points to Sam.

Wes follows his gaze. "Oh wow! Yeah. He definitely isn't a student here."

"No, he's a spy." Kurt says.

"Spy?" an eavesdropping David snaps to attention. "Where?"

"There." Wes directs David.

Blaine joins them in checking out Sam. "From the New Directions?" He directs the question at Kurt.

Before Kurt can affirm David sarcastically says. "No, Blaine. He's a spy for the old people."

Sam seems to have noticed he's been made and ducks out the door. "Let's go talk to our new friend." Wes suggests.

The four of the pursue Sam out the door. They find him lost a few hallways away. "Excuse me?" Blaine speaks. "Can we help you?"

Sam looks guilty and bit frightened at being caught. "Nope, I'm good. Just leaving."

"Right. You're from McKinley, aren't you? What's your name?" Wes asks.

"Sam. And yes, I am from McKinley." The blonde looks ashamed.

"I'm Wes, this is David, Blaine and Kurt. How about you join us for a cup of coffee?"

Sam shakes his head. "Nope, I'm good. I need to be getting back to school." He tries to slip down the hall.

"Hey, Sam. It's alright. We're not going to beat you up or anything for spying." Kurt promises. "We just want to talk."

"I'm sorry!" Sam blurts. "I didn't mean to spy. Well, I kinda did. But I didn't want to. The other guys made me. They wanted to get a leg up in the competition and I'm the new kid. I had to."

"Hey man, calm down. We get it. We're not mad." David says. Wes cuts in a small voice saying that he's a little mad. "Not helping, Wes." David hisses.

"Anyway-" Blaine intercedes. "Sam, the problem here is that spying is against the show choir bylaws. It can get your team in trouble."

"Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry." Sam says.

"We won't turn you in this time but tell your team to stop it. Honestly, they should know better after everything that happened last year." Kurt comments.

"Okay, I promise I'll get them to stop." Sam agrees. "But, uh, can you guys tell me how to get out of this place, it's huge."

They laugh and lead him to the front entrance. As he leaves Wes gives him a final warning. "Don't let us see you back here."

"We'll see you at sectionals." Blaine bids farewell.

"Bye, Sam. Tell the New Directions to stop spying." Kurt reminds.

The four Warblers turn back inside with laughs and shaking heads. "Well, sorry Blaine, looks like Teenage dream is out of the running for sectionals." Wes grumbles. "And it was such a good performance."

He stomps off with David at his heels. Blaine laughs. "Did you know your old team was going to come spy on us?" He asks.

"No." Kurt says, pondering. "I don't think they know I'm a Warbler now. I've never told them that I go to here. They just know I go to a private school."

Blaine chuckles. "Well they'll know now."

Kurt shakes his head. "Sam didn't recognize me. We've never actually met each other."

"So, the New Directions don't know you're a Warbler now. And the Warblers don't know you used to be one of the New Directions." Blaine clarifies. "Oh, this will be all kinds of fun."


	21. First Date?

_Hello! Who's hungry? I am, writing this chapter made me crave the loaded fries. You'll see what I mean. The restaurant in here is based on a real place is Westerville, also, the food._

 _Klaine! it's been a little while sine we've had a Klaine based chapter. That problem is now rectified. time for their first (maybe) date!_

 _Please leave reviews. I love hearing from you guys._

 _Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know by now that i do not own Klaine, or Harry Potter, or the Sound of Music._

After their spy on Tuesday the rest of the week is rather dull. Wes drives them extra hard in rehearsal to come up with a new song for sectionals. Classes are tedious and calculus continues to kick Kurt's butt. For the most part Kurt just feels depressed.

Friday evening finds Kurt alone in his room, wondering what he could possibly do to make himself feel better. He needs to do something to release the emotions without breaking down the way he did at Carole's and at his parents' graves. He adamantly refuses to go to the school therapist. The thought of telling the guys still makes him anxious. Maybe he should get online and look up ways to deal with grief.

A knock on the door interrupts his thoughts. He gets off the floor. Blaine is the one there, unsurprisingly as he is Kurt's most often visitor. His light seeps into Kurt's dark cracks. "Hey Kurt. What you up to?"

Blaine comes in and he shuts the door. "Nothing. What's up?"

"I come bearing gifts and a request." Blaine holds up the tube of Arnica. "First let's reapply. Your bruises should be faded out in the next few days."

Kurt bites his bottom lip and blushes as he pulls his obediently takes his shirt off. He takes his spot on the bed and Blaine climbs on top of him. It's no longer super awkward for them to be in this position. They've reapplied the arnica a few times in the last couple weeks. Kurt could probably do it on his own, but he enjoys these little sessions too much to say anything. Blaine doesn't seem to mind either.

Kurt relaxes into his pillow as Blaine rubs the medicine into the few remaining bruises on his chest and shoulders. He hums answers to Blaine's questions about how certain spots are feeling and such. He doesn't flinch when Blaine pulls the waistband of his pants down to check on his hip. "This looks a lot better. You can hardly tell it once was a shoe-print." Blaine comments.

After he's finished the compact boy very carefully flops himself down on top of Kurt's lither body. Kurt wraps his arm around the smaller boy. For a few moments the savor each other's embrace. "So, what are these gifts and requests you 'come bearing'?" Kurt breaks the spell.

Blaine hums and sits up, Pulling Kurt up with him. "You haven't gone down to dinner again. This is the third time this week alone." He gives Kurt a dismayed frown. "And you haven't been eating much lunch either."

"I haven't been hungry." Kurt defends.

"You still need to eat." Kurt avoids Blaine's eyes. "It's not healthy. You're becoming gaunt. Which is not a good thing, read Harry Potter!" Kurt rolls his eyes in amusement. "I request that either you go get your skinny butt down to the Cafeteria…" Kurt turns his nose up. "...or I'm going to be forced to gift you with a night out to dinner at a restaurant. You've got five seconds to decide. Five…four…three…"

"What?" Kurt snorts in surprise.

He doesn't get to give an answer before Blaine reaches one. He grabs Kurt and throws him older his shoulder. Kurt yelps and holds on tight as Blaine totes him out of the room. He yells goodheartedly at Blaine to put him down as Blaine runs down the hall. They almost fall on the stairs a couple times.

Blaine keeps Kurt over his shoulder all the way to the student parking. Where he gets plopped into Blaine's passenger seat. Blaine gets in the drivers' side shortly thereafter and starts the car. "Seat belt." He demands.

Kurt obeys, still flabbergasted that this is even happening. Blaine clicks his own seat belt and pulls out of the parking lot. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Believe it. And tell me what you're craving. We can go anywhere you want." Blaine says.

"I don't know. I haven't been to a lot of restaurants. Except Breadstix, but that is over an hour and half away." Kurt shrugs.

"Okay. Fine. I'll surprise you then. Now, turn on the radio and let's get this Friday night rollin'!" Blaine whoops. They roll down the windows and blast the music until Blaine pulls up at a little diner just outside of the town limits.

The sign announces it as Carson's. Inside smells delicious and is warm, which is nice as neither of them had grabbed a jacket (and had barely remembered to grab Kurt's shirt). It's not too busy so they get sat quickly at a little table towards the back. Blaine, ever chivalrous, pulls Kurt's chair out for him. Kurt sits down with a small "thank you".

Their waiter takes their drink order. When he returns with the beverages he takes their meal orders. Blaine hadn't needed to look at the menu before asking for "the ultimate loaded fries" as their appetizer. Kurt thought they sounded fattening, but Blaine insisted that he had to try them. It was impossible to say no to those puppy eyes. Blaine also orders 'Chicken Carsonie' as his entrée. Kurt goes for the pesto chicken pasta.

Turns out the loaded fries are actually really delicious. They are parmesan fries topped with melted cheese, bacon bits, and little green onions. Blaine picks the first fry off of the plate and presses it to Kurt lips. Kurt, somewhat reluctantly, takes the high calorie piece into his mouth. His taste buds revel in joy at the incredible flavor. After that first fry, both boys devour the appetizer with equal enthusiasm; going so far as to race for the last one. Kurt wins; Blaine pouts. After they're gone Kurt can feel how hungry he actually is. He hopes the rest of the meal is just as delicious.

While they wait they begin small-talk. "My family has been coming here for years. Carson's is the best place to eat in Westerville. As you have just learned." Blaine says.

Kurt nods. "I believe it. It's cozy and there's at least one amazing thing on the menu." He indicates the empty plate.

"More than one. Trust me."

"Hmm. Okay, I will." Kurt shrugs. "So, what's your family like? You know all about mine."

Blaine makes a weird face. "Um… they're good. It's not perfect. But, we try."

"That's vague. What else? Any siblings? Pets?"

"I have one brother, Cooper. He's 10 years older than me, so we weren't super close growing up. As for pets, I have my canary from when I joined the Warblers last year. Her name is Edyth."

"What about your parents?" Kurt askes shyly.

Blaine sighs. "They're good. They've always done everything they can to provide the best for me. Mom's awesome, but she always wants to be a little too much into my life. Especially my love-life. She's cool with me being gay and all. Dad's less okay with it. He's not bad… I mean… he tolerates it. Though, I know for fact he'd rather me be straight. He doesn't get it, get me. But, he loves me, regardless."

"That's good. Better than a lot of people get." Kurt says.

"Yeah. Did your parents support you?" Blaine questions gingerly.

Kurt nods. "My dad did. My mom never knew. Well, maybe she did. My dad said he'd known since I was three, so maybe she knew. But I never got to tell her. I like to think she would've been okay with it."

"Just from the way you talk about her, I'm sure she would have." Blaine reaches across the table to grab Kurt's hand. It's so simple and romantic; this whole night has been. It makes Kurt wonder. Is this a date?

Their food comes out soon. Form the first bite Kurt is certain he's in love. The flavors of the chicken, noodles, and pesto dance across his tongue. "Oh dear Gucci! This is amazing!" he moans.

Blaine smirks around his own mouthful of food; silently saying 'I told you so'. He swallows. "Glad you like it. Because I expect you to eat all of it."

Kurt scoops another forkful into his mouth. "No problem. If the cafeteria food tasted like this I'd have no problems eating it every day." Conversation falls away as they both enjoy the food. Kurt eats every last bite. He hasn't felt this full in a long time.

When they're both done the waiter comes to offer them dessert. Blaine defers the decision to him. He seriously considers it. But he might burst if he eats more. So, they decline and ask for the check.

Kurt panics briefly when he realizes he can't pay for any of it. Blaine takes it and happily pays it all. When they get back to the car Kurt swears "I'll pay you back."

"No. No need." Blaine says. He doesn't let the protests escape Kurt's mouth. "Really. It's might treat. No sweat. My families loaded enough that thirty bucks at Carson's is nothing. It's fine. I'm glad to pay for you to finally eat."

Kurt blushes and smiles wide. This is totally a date. It's got to be. "So, what now Mr. Anderson?"

"I was thinking we should round the night off with a movie? What do you think? pajamas, pop-corn, and Harry Potter in my room?" Blaine pleads.

Kurt purses his lips. "Make it Sound of Music and you've got yourself a deal."

Blaine frowns slightly at losing his Harry Potter. Then quickly lights back up with a new idea. "Why not both?"

Kurt nearly laughs. "You drive a hard bargain. Deal; but, Sound of Music first." They hop out of the car after parking. "Be there in a few minutes." Kurt promises and runs off to his room.

Kurt changes into pajamas and improvises a quick moisturizing routine. He can't let his skin suffer just because he might be on a date, or rather, especially because he might be on a date. He grabs his copy of The Sound of Music and moves himself out the door and over to Blaine's.

There, after knocking and waiting patiently, he's welcomed into the room by a pajama clad Blaine. His fluffy dark curls have been released from their gel prison as well. He giddily pulls Kurt into the room and onto his bed. They take a few moments to get settled hip to hip against the headboard and wrap the blanket thereon around themselves. With Blaine's laptop sitting across their laps they enjoy their chosen movies late into the night.

Throughout the films they slip lower and lean into each other more as sleepiness takes over them. When 'The Philosopher's Stone' ends they are fully laying down on the mattress. The laptop continues to sit on top of them until it goes to sleep. They are close to following when Kurt mutters. "I should get back to my room. It's almost curfew"

Blaine peels himself off of Kurt and moves the laptop to his desk. He helps the tired Kurt get up and off the bed. Blaine stops Kurt at the door. "Thank you for coming with me tonight. And for eating the whole meal."

Kurt smiles. "Thanks for making me."

Blaine hugs him. "It was my pleasure. I'll do it again if you stop eating again."

Kurt pulls back from the hug and lifts an eyebrow. "Sounds tempting. But, I thought you wanted me to eat."

"Er…Right." Blaine contemplates. "Never mind. If you stop eating again I'll drag you to the cafeteria and force feed you the mystery casserole."

"Ew! No." Kurt wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"Alternatively, I'll take you back to Carson's next weekend if you eat three meals a day, every day this week. Deal?"

Kurt bites his lip, fully aware that this is going to be hard; but, another date to Carson's with Blaine is more than worth it. "You drive a hard bargain. Deal."


	22. Grief induced anorexia

_Hello! This chapter delves more into Kurt's eating disorder. Also, we explore how the events of 'The Substitute' would change without Kurt at McKinley._

 _I don't have much to say. Enjoy! Review please._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee_

"They're tater tots, Mercedes." Kurt deadpans.

"Exactly! They're the best food in the whole world and Sue has banned them!" Mercedes' outraged voice rings out of the telephone.

Kurt shakes his head, though he knows she can't see. "That's not what I meant. And they are definitely not the best food in the world."

"uh-uh, White Boy. What in the hell is wrong with you?"

"They're fake potatoes shredded and fried into little nuggets." He sasses back at her "It's really not that big of a deal. It's just food."

"No. No. Hell no. They are not just food. They are the epitome of culinary art." Kurt scoffs quietly. Tater tots are definitely any kind of art. "I heard that." Mercedes says. "They are delicious and wonderful and the best thing that has ever existed. Sue Sylvester taking them away is a crime of the highest degree. She is a monster trying to destroy my love."

Kurt hesitates in his response out of a caring concern. "Cedes? When was the last time you went on a date?"

"What? What does that have to do with anything?" she asks.

"I think you need to go out on a date. What your talking about are tater tots. Maybe you think they taste good but they can't provide you with anything real. Your substituting them for love. You need to get out with a real person."

There is a brief pause before she responds, more subdued than previously. "I don't know. You're the only person I ever really got out with."

"I know. You and I are closer to each other than anyone else in glee club; and I'm sorry if me being here has left you lonely. You know I'd rather be there with you. But I'm not your boyfriend, Cedes." Kurt speaks softly. "You will find somebody. I did, in the midst of everything I'm dealing with, I found Blaine. Out dinner date last week was amazing! But not because of the food, though it was delicious. Because it was with Blaine. People are more important than food."

Kurt can see in his mind's eye the facial expressions his best friend is working through in the time before she answers; disbelief, frustration, contemplation, realization, and finally resignation to the fact that he is right. She sighs. "Why do you have to be so smart?"

"It's just part of my charm." Kurt teases.

She laughs. "Yes, you're very charming. Thank you, Kurt."

"You are most welcome. So, what else is going on? How is everyone?"

"uuuugghh- Rachel is a tyrant!" Mercedes moans. "Mr. Schue got sick and she immediately took over the glee club. She demanded we all pick songs for her to sing at sectionals."

"Ugh. She is such a self-centered jerk. Did everyone else go ballistic?" Kurt asks.

"Santana did. Most everyone was annoyed. There was a lot of screaming. I don't think we'll be having another meeting until Mr. Schue gets better." She says.

"What? Sectionals is in like three weeks, you can't afford to skip rehearsals." He says.

"I know. But we won't get anything done under Rachel's tyrannical rule anyway."

"Then get a substitute. Find another teacher to come in the next few days."

"Who? We would usually go to Miss Pillsbury but after the Rocky Horror drama between her, her hot dentist boyfriend and Mr. Schue, I don't think it's a good idea. And most of the other teachers here school won't do it. They hate Glee as much as the students. And I don't think most of them have any musical training." Mercedes says.

"I don't know." Kurt sighs. "Just think about it. If you can find someone… I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"It's not your fault. Thanks though." She says. "What about you? How's your week?"

"Um, Blaine has put me on a strict diet for the week." He says.

"What diet? You're like the healthiest person I know. You don't eat anything non-organic or in the slightest bit fattening." she chuckles.

"It's not what I eat that he has a problem with. It's that I don't eat enough. I skip a meal occasionally because I'm not hungry and he thinks I'm going to waste away." He rolls his eyes.

"Skipping meals? That actually might be a problem. I don't think that's healthy."

"I'm just not hungry." He defends.

"Well, how much are you eating when you don't skip meals?" She asks.

"Um… enough." He lies. He knows it's been too small portions.

"That sounded convincing." She comments sarcastically. "Maybe you need to be the one eating tots. People might be more important than food but food is still important."

Kurt scowls, he'd never eat anything as bad as tots. "Yeah, yeah. Blaine's given me the same lecture four times this week. And he's been making me eat full plates of food every meal. So, you can relax. I'm not turning to skin and bones."

"You already are skin and bones, White boy. If you get any skinnier and you'll just disappear."

"I'm gonna hang up on you if you're mean to me." He huffs. It's a joking tone; but he has heard enough about his eating habits that he really is annoyed.

She laughs, "Actually you should anyway. It's well after six, my mom will be in to get me for dinner soon and I'm sure your boyfriend will be in to force you to eat soon as well."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Not yet." "She quips and quickly adds, "Bye, Boy" before hanging up.

His exasperated yell of her name is lost to the empty line tone. He drops the phone on his bed grumbling about his best friend. He allows himself only a moment of this. She is right Blaine will be here any minute to drag him down to dinner. He would rather be fully ready when that happens than in a wrinkled outfit from rolling around on his bed, girl-talking.

He gets up to straighten his outfit and fix his hair. Looking in the mirror he dwells on his own sullen eyes. They're an unattractive dull grey, not light or color. He breathes deeply in disappointment. No, Blaine isn't his boyfriend. He never will be. No one wants a depressed, ghostly boy. And he's not interested in getting over his down feelings.

Nor does he want to eat anything. He's not hungry. And why should he have to? If he doesn't want to eat, he won't eat. No matter how cute the boy trying to get him to is.

Baine knocks on the door soon thereafter, just as predicted. Kurt answers the door. "Hey Kurt! Are you ready for dinner?"

"I'm not coming to dinner." Kurt says.

Blaine's chipper smile falls. "What? Why not?"

"I don't want to. I don't have an appetite for anything." Kurt bows his head and folds his arms around himself.

Blaine approaches Kurt calmly. "But, you promised me. C'mon Kurt, please. You need to eat."

"I ate breakfast and lunch. I don't want any dinner."

"Kurt…"

"I don't want to eat right now. Please, don't try to make me!" Kurt cries with burning eyes.

Blaine takes the last step right up to Kurt quickly and places his hands on the taller boy's shoulders. "I'm not going to make you do anything Kurt." He promises. "I just don't want you to starve yourself."

"I'm not." Kurt glares wetly at Blaine.

"You kind of have been. I've only known you for a month but in that month you have visibly, quite drastically, lost weight. I've seen you not eating. I've noticed when you don't come to a meal." Blaine says kindly. "I know you're going through a lot right now; and while I'm not an expert on psychology, I think with all this stress you may be developing an eating disorder. I don't want you getting sick. So, please come eat some dinner."

Kurt keeps his eyes lowered. He thinks about his friend's words hard, he really does; but, he… can't. "Not tonight, Blaine." He whispers, willing back the burning tears.

Blaine breathes a long, disappointed sigh. "Alright. I'm sorry for pushing you. No dinner tonight. But breakfast tomorrow, yeah?"

Kurt's appetite doesn't come back over the next two days (to the end of the week he promised Blaine); but he tries to eat for the dapper boy's sake. And on Friday night, even though he didn't wholly keep his promise, Blaine takes him to Carson's again. It tastes just as good as last week, though he does end up taking about half the meal home in a to-go box.

After dinner Blaine surprises Kurt with a pair of tickets to _Rent_ showing at the community theatre house. The production is beautiful and he and Blaine lean into each other to softly sing along to the songs. It turns out to be a fabulous night.

As Kurt is lying in bed that night, he comes to the conclusion that these past two Friday nights out with Blaine have got to be dates. Something tugs on his heart and his stomach twists into knots. Only this time they aren't painful. They're thrilling.


	23. Homeless for the Holiday

_Okay guys, I've got a new chapter and news. This week I'm moving back to the mainland, so if I miss the next update I apologize. This also means my schedule is going to change; I will still update every week and I'm hoping to be able to keep it on Wednesdays but I'm not sure yet. At the very least, the time of day will change because of the time zones._

 _On to the chapter. Enjoy and leave a review._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

Happy chirping Warblers fill the rehearsal hall with noise on Wednesday afternoon. Suitcases dot the floor. It's not a rehearsal, all the boys are just hanging out until their parents get here to pick them up for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Nearly half of them have already left.

Kurt is not among them. He sits off in the corner, alone. He's not going anywhere this weekend. Instead, he gets to stay here alone (well, technically, with four or so members of the staff). Of course, this would happen to him.

He can't take the giddiness in this room any longer. He gets up and walks out. Blaine bounds after him with a full suitcase. "Hey, Kurt! What are you still doing here? I thought you would have left for Carole's already."

"Change of plans. Carole's mom just fell sick. So, she and Finn are going to see her for Thanksgiving. They can't afford to take me with. I'm stuck here." Kurt mumbles as he slowly wanders on.

Blaine's perfect lips melt into a small melancholic curve. "Oh. That sucks. I'm sorry." Blaine says somberly, keeping beside him.

They meander slowly down the hall in silence, neither sure what to say. No words can make this better. They pass classroom after classroom, moving aimlessly through the halls. Finally, Blaine breaks the impasse. "Isn't there anywhere else you could go? One of your friends?"

Kurt shakes his head. "No one can fit me into their plans on such a short notice. Most of them are going out of town too."

"Right." Blaine nearly pouts.

"I was really looking forward to being home." Kurt says quietly.

"I'm sorry." Blaine says. "I'd take you to the Philippines with me but airplane tickets and passports and all that… I suppose I could smuggle you in my bag."

Kurt smiles slightly at him. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Thought so." Blaine nudges him. "But, there must be something I can do."

"Nah, I'm stuck here. Nothing you can do at this point." Disappointment seeps through Kurt's voice. Blaine's frown becomes more pronounced and Kurt, only be able to handle small amounts of the sad puppy face, quickly assures the younger boy, "It's fine, I'll live. Better than being at my aunts." Blaine scowls at the mention of HER. "Just bring me back a cool souvenir from your trip."

"Will do. And I'll be sure to text you as often as I can." Blaine promises. "Though that may be hard. I can't guarantee I'll have any phone service. But I will try my hardest." They reach the front entrance to the school. "I'm sorry your plans fell through."

"It's not your fault. Stop worrying so much about me." Kurt sits down on the concrete garden wall just outside the doors.

Blaine joins him. "Not gonna happen. I have to worry, it's my job as your friend. Besides, who else is going to spam your phone reminding you to eat copious amounts of turkey?"

Kurt shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "What if I don't like turkey?" he teases.

"I'm pretty sure you do." Blaine returns the smirk Kurt gives him. "And if you don't then you'll have to extra stuffing to make up for it. You are not allowed to starve yourself this weekend even if I'm not pestering you. Got it? This is the week of gorging yourself on good food and I expect you to do so." The shorter boys lecture up at the taller.

"Whatever. I promise to eat one full plate of whatever I end up getting tomorrow."

"And three full meals every other day this weekend." Blaine adds.

Kurt sighs. "Yeah, sure. That too." Blaine gives Kurt a pouty face that is a bit too exaggerated to be entirely real. Seems he's figured out how effective that is on getting Kurt to do whatever he wants. "I promise I'll eat this weekend. As much as my stomach will allow."

Blaine smiles victoriously. Kurt pushes him with a scoff. Before either of them can say anything else a burgundy van pulls up to the curb in front of them. A pretty blonde girl who can't be much younger than them opens the door and waves at them. "HI BLAINE!" she calls.

"Who's that?" Kurt asks.

Blaine calls a 'hello' back to her. "That's Julie, Jeff's little sister."

"Oh. He's got lots of siblings, right?"

"Yeah, he's the oldest of five. But Julie is the only girl so she's the easiest to remember. I can't keep his three brothers straight." Blaine laughs.

Jeff, himself, comes out the front door then. Excited cries of his name burst from the van. The overly excitable boy smiles huge and bounces down the steps. "Have a good Thanksgiving, Jeff!" Blaine calls when he passes by the two of them.

Jeff stops and turns to them. "Hey! Thanks. You two, too."

Another car, this time a sleek Mustang, pulls up and honks. "That's my parents." Blaine stands up.

Kurt's attention is drawn to him and the loneliness of the coming weekend hits him. These two are the last of his friends to be leaving. "Oh." He tries not to sound disappointed. "Well, have fun. See you next week."

Blaine looks guilty. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I wish there was something I could do."

"Wait, you're staying here, Kurt?" Jeff asks. "You aren't going home?"

Kurt shakes his head. "Don't have anywhere to go." Jeff's exuberant look falls to sorrowing like Blaine's is. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll be okay. You two go have a fun weekend with your families." He brushes it off.

Blaine's parents honk again.

"No. Give me a minute. Wait here." Jeff says thoughtfully. Then he runs down to his family's car. Kurt and Blaine watch on curiously as he tosses his bag in the back and spends a few minutes talking to his mom in the front seat.

"What's he doing?" Kurt asks.

The blonde runs back with his big smile restored. "I think he's inviting you to..." Blaine begins.

Jeff cuts him off. "Okay. Kurt you're welcome at my house for the weekend if you want to come."

"What?" Kurt gasps.

"I asked my parents and they're cool with it." Jeff

"B-but… I…" Kurt stutters flabbergasted.

Blaine slings an arm around his shoulders and says, "That's fantastic!"

"But I couldn't… I wouldn't want to impose." Kurt protests.

"It's no problem. Really. My parents are happy to let you come. And now that it's been put out there my siblings won't take 'no' for an answer." Jeff guarantees.

"Don't look this gift horse in the mouth. Go!" Blaine encourages. "It'll be awesome."

"Yes! Please, Kurt!" Jeff begs.

Kurt remains opened mouthed, unable to speak, looking between the two of them. "O-okay. Thanks." Kurt breaks out into a smile. "Thank you so much."

Jeff cheers. "Let's go pack your bag. My family will wait."

An irritated honk comes from Blaine's parent's car. "BLAINE! COME ON! WE NEED TO GET TO THE AIRPORT!" his dad calls.

Blaine flips his head to his dad and back. "I've gotta go. I'll see you next week." He hugs Kurt, then Jeff. "You are awesome." He tells the blonde. Then he hugs Kurt again. "Have a great weekend. Bye guys." Blaine drags his bag to his car. Kurt and Jeff dash off to Kurt's room.

Kurt hates last minute packing. He hasn't planned outfits for the next few days because he'd thought he would be alone. So, he's having to match tops, pants, shoes and accessories on the fly. Luckily his moisturizers are all contained in a case and he doesn't have to spend time deciding which ones to take. He ever so carefully tosses everything in a suitcase. He really doesn't want to keep the Sterlings waiting any longer than necessary. After all, they've been so gracious as to take him in for the weekend. The least he can do is repay them by being as polite as possible; starting with being swift in his preparations.

Jeff skips through the school, pulling Kurt along, excitedly babbling almost incomprehensibly about how awesome this weekend will be. Kurt is in turn dragging his bag and trying to keep up. Jeff hauls tows him down the stairs, which make it hard to keep control of his bag on, and out to his family's car. The door opens for them from the inside and multiple hands help them in. Kurt is deposited on the third-row bench of the van next to Jeff, his bag in the isle on the other side of him.

Four faces peer at him from both in front and behind him. There's Julie and three younger boys who must be Jeff's brothers. One is as bright blonde as Jeff and Julie, the other two have darker, brownish hair. All five siblings have matching hazel eyes. The combined weight of their curious gazes is stifling.

"Um… Hi?" Kurt says.

"Guys, this is my friend Kurt." Jeff introduces. "Kurt these are my siblings. My sister Julie. And my brothers Jake, …" he's the tallest of the younger boys with the darkest hair, Kurt commits to memory. "…Josh…" is the blonde one. "…and our baby brother Jayden." Jeff finishes.

"I'm not a baby! I'm 10!" Jayden protests.

Jeff pats his head patronizingly, teasing his 'baby brother'. The others laugh at Jayden's grumpy face. "Um…Okay. I'll try to keep all your names straight." Kurt says shyly.

"It's okay if you mess up. Mom mixes our names up all the time." Jake says.

"Oh, shush up, you." Their mother comments pleasantly from the front seat.

All the kids smile and giggle at her. Happy, albeit loud, chatter fills the car immediately after. Kurt is confused by the nonsensical-ness of it. Jeff must see his confusion as he nudges Kurt and whispers, "Just wait until we get home" in a foreboding promise of chaos.


	24. Thanksgiving with the Sterlings

_I made it! Here's the update for this week; but, the next few weeks are still in flux so I can't guarantee regular updates. I will try my best._

 _Thank you for the reviews. I love reading them. Enjoy the chapter!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot._

The Sterling's van pulls up in front of a modest house in a regular suburban neighborhood. Prior to seeing the place Kurt figured Jeff was another of the ridiculously rich boys who went to Dalton. But, his friend's home gives off a more upper-middle class feel. It's larger than the suburban houses of Lima but it isn't a mansion.

The Sterling siblings pile out of the car and into the yard. Mrs. Sterling grabs Jeff's weekend bag with a call to him telling him to carry his own stuff inside. Kurt pulls his own bag out of the car. He follows the hyper family into the house.

Inside feels warm and cozy and, unquestionably, lived in. Pictures cover the walls, toys are scattered about, the books and movies on the shelves are rather unorganized. It's comforting like a home should be.

"Jeff honey show Kurt to your room, please." Mrs. Sterling asks. "And take your stuff up there too. Don't just drop it on the living room floor."

Jeff smiles sheepishly and picks his bag back up. He leads Kurt up the stairs to the bedrooms. He opens one door and tosses his bag down on one of the two beds therein. "This is mine and Jake's room. Sorry, you'll have to share with both of us. We've got more family coming over and we're going to be pretty packed tomorrow."

"It's fine, Jeff. The floor of your shared bedroom is better than being completely alone at Dalton." Kurt thanks him.

"I'll make sure you have lots of pillows and blankets to make the floor more comfortable." Jeff promises. Kurt thanks him once again. "You can drop your bag wherever. We're going to play some games in the family room if you want to join us."

"Sure" Kurt politely accepts and follows him back downstairs.

There they find Jeff's siblings playing Twister. Their parents are running the wheel from the couch. Two of the boys sit to the side; the blond one, Josh? and the one Kurt thinks is Jayden. Julie and the other brother are still on the board. They competitively play a few more rounds until Jake falls down. Julie collapses after she sees that he's lost. She cheers and jumps onto her feet. "Still undefeated! Who dare's challenge me? Jeff?"

He makes a show of stretching out. "Be prepared to lose, sis. Kurt? Do you want to get in on it?"

Kurt considers nervously. But the whole family looks hopeful and excited at him. Plus, Jeff's eyes hold a look of challenge that he cannot refuse. "Sure. As long as you are prepared to lose." He timidly teases his friend.

All the Sterling's cheer. Jeff takes the first turn, then Julie. Kurt follows with his turn. More turns follow as they each contort their bodies to reach their given colors. Right hand blue, right foot yellow, left foot blue… and so on. It takes far longer than Kurt expects for the first of them to fall. It's Jeff who does so, He knocks into Kurt's left arm and nearly knocks him down too; but Sue's training kicks in and he holds tight. Jeff crawls out from the crisscrossing limbs to pout on the floor with his brothers.

The game goes on and on as Julie and Kurt competitively refuse to give in. He can feel her glare on him each time he accomplishes a new difficult contortion. His muscles are stretching and burning in a way they haven't been forced to in months. Just as he begins thinking he might end up falling soon, Julie collapses.

The cheers that erupt from her brothers are very enthusiastic. She groans from her position on the matt beneath Kurt. He agrees with her sentiment, he's going to be sore in the morning. Kurt flips himself over his hands so he can collapse to the ground without crushing Julie; well, at least not in the more literal sense than he already has.

They both lay sweating and panting on the floor for a few minutes. She eventually rolls over to glare at him incredulously. "How did you do that?"

He huffs out a chuckle at her dejected expression. "I was on my school's cheer team last year. Our coach does not accept failure."

She pouts at him. "You were a cheerleader?" Jeff demands in shock.

"Mhmm." Kurt hums as affirmation.

"Maybe I need to join cheer-leading. So, I can finally win this game." Josh says. Everyone laughs.

The Sterlings are warm and accepting of Kurt despite the fact that they only met him today. He joins in with the family playing games and watching movies for the night. Later in the evening they order some pizzas for dinner, because the day before thanksgiving no one should have to worry about cooking their own dinner. When the kids are sent to bed they don't raise a fuss about his moisturizing routine; in fact, Julie enthusiastically questions him about his different products and what they do. Also, Jeff really does create quite the pile of pillows and blankets on his floor for Kurt's bed.

The next morning Kurt wakes to the scent of the day's cooking already beginning downstairs. He dresses in his carefully chosen thanksgiving ensemble and ventures into the rest of the house. Mrs. Sterling is at the stove stirring something that smells delicious. The rest of the family is in various stages of eating their small breakfasts of toast or cereal. They all greet him with 'good morning's and offer him some. As people finish up their food Mr. Sterling announces the day's agenda, "We need to get the tables and decorations set up in the basement for tonight. Your cousins and grandparents should start showing up around noon. I need everyone's help this morning to get stuff done."

The Sterling kids get up and to work quickly. Kurt is momentarily saved from being recruited for something by Mr. Sterling as Mrs. Sterling pulls him into the kitchen. "I just have a quick question for you dear." She says. "What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? I want to make sure we have plenty for you."

"There's really no need for that; but, thank you. I love cranberry sauce. My mom had a recipe; we make it every year." Kurt says.

"Homemade? We usually do the canned stuff but I think we have some cranberries in the freezer. I can look up a recipe." She walks briskly over to the freezer.

"No need; I can make it. I know my mom's recipe." Kurt offers. Helping her cook all day sounds better than manual labor with the others.

"You can cook?" She asks.

"Yes. I love to cook." Kurt admits timidly. The Sterlings are clearly cool with gays; but, Jeff isn't really flamboyant or obvious about his sexuality, he's more like every other strait guy than Kurt is. He doesn't want them to think bad of him because of his more feminine qualities.

Mrs. Sterling does one better. "Why can't my sons be more like you? They can only do microwave or box foods. Even Julie is still learning basic recipes. It would be great to have some competent help in the kitchen."

Kurt gawks in astonishment. He's never been put in a position for others to look up to, especially not other boys. "I would love to help." He accepts thrilled.

She sets him to some simpler tasks as she gains a feeling for his aptitude. He proves himself quickly to her. Julie joins them later, helping where she can; at least until their relatives show up. Then Julie joins her brothers and cousins to play a game of football in the back yard. They ask Kurt to join them and Mrs. Sterling gives him permission to go. However, he insists that he'd much rather be in the kitchen. Together Kurt and Mrs. Sterling prepare a feast of highest quality.

Kurt sits next to Jeff at the long table for dinner. Mrs. Sterling is on his other side. The rest of the table is crowded with at least two dozen other family members, all over the age of twelve. At another table sit Jeff's younger sibling and cousins. They say a quick prayer, which Kurt does not participate in but remains respectfully quiet anyway, then they dig into the copious amounts of food laid out before them.

Everything tastes amazing. Kurt actually eats more than he had expected of himself. However, his cranberry sauce sits untouched on his plate for too long. He can't bring himself to eat it. Several others around the table compliment him on how good it tastes; but; he's worried it wont taste right to him. It doesn't matter to his hurting heart that he's made this exact recipe ever year for half his life since his mom died. He feels eight years old again, the first time he had to make it alone and was worried he'd mess it up. He'd done it almost perfectly that year, and nothing that could actually change the taste has changed; yet, still, it doesn't seem like it could possibly taste the same. Everything has changed, why wouldn't this do so as well?

Jeff takes notice of Kurt's humorless prodding of the cranberry sauce with his spoon. He nudges the older boy discreetly with his elbow and sends him a look asking if he's okay. Kurt shrugs it off with a fake smile and takes a spoonful of the sauce into his mouth to prove it.

It tastes exactly the way it should. It's just not quite right anymore.

"Let's all go around the table and say what we're grateful for this year." Some woman, Kurt assumes is Jeff's aunt or something, suggests. All the family members excitedly go through their choices. Somebody got engaged, there's been two new babies born to some of Jeff's aunts, somebody got some big promotion, a house was bought, etc. etc.

Too soon it comes around to Jeff's turn. "I'm super grateful that I built up the courage to ask out Nick this year and that he said yes." He blushes with a huge lovesick smile.

Then it's Kurt's turn and he's not sure what to say. It's like when he and Blaine were pranking Niff and Blaine had asked what the best thing that had happened to him was. He didn't have a quick answer, especially in regards to this year. What great had happened to him this year?

The Sterlings and their relatives were looking at him expectantly. He opened his mouth without anything to say. "I-i um…" he racks his brain. Maybe something back in the beginning of the year? Uuuhhh… nope, no ideas. "I'm grateful for… being able to be here. To Jeff for inviting me over when I didn't have anywhere else to go." He keeps his gaze averted from everyone as he says it and is glad when Mrs. Sterling moves on to give her opinion.

Jeff nudges him. "You're welcome." He whispers. One corner of Kurt's lips raises in a half smile.

After dinner is over the family goes to the basement. Jeff and his siblings, who've formed their own band, called J5, put on a mini concert. They sing some songs they'd written themselves. They are actually pretty good. Desert comes later in the evening, once everyone has had some time to digest the dinner and make more room in their stomachs. Lastly, they watch the "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" movie and go to bed.


	25. Loveless

_Hey guys. New chapter. I am so sorry for this chapter; please don't hate me. It made me super sad to write. But the evil plot monster in my head told me this is what has to happen. I hate that sadistic little monster, Kurt deserves so much better that this crap._

 _To make it worse the next chapter is also quite sad and angsty._

 _Warnings: non-graphic physical abuse, graphic verbal abuse, lots of sadness_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Unfortunately, I do own Laurette and Vincent._

"Pick up. Pick up." Kurt implores into his phone as it tries to connect.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached- the automated voice says once again.

Kurt gives a sob of frustration as inaudibly as he can; he doesn't want to wake the Sterlings. He knows that Blaine is in the Philippines with no phone reception and all that. But, he really needs him right now. Being cut off so completely hurts too much like the grief he's become too familiar with lately. He just can't seem to keep anyone he loves close.

Tears pour out of his clenched eyes as he dials the number again. Once again, he is met with the same response. He isn't even being asked to leave a voicemail.

A shuddering breath shakes his body as he draws it in.

He drops the hand with is phone from his ear. There is no point. Defeated, he silently re-enters Jeff and Jake's room and climbs back into the pile of pillows and blankets on the floor. He cries himself into unconsciousness, the only reprieve he suspects he'll have until he sees Blaine again on Monday.

The Sterling family all bid him goodbye's the next morning after breakfast. Mrs. Sterling gives him a motherly hug. "It was amazing having you for the holiday, Dear. Come over anytime you want to."

"I think she likes you more than the rest of us. I'm going to have to lean to cook to retake my place as her favorite." Jeff says. His siblings all protest the title, each claiming that they're the favorite. Jeff ignores them and asks Kurt. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Have a good weekend at your aunt's." Jeff says.

Kurt tries for a convincing smile; it fails in every possible way. "Yeah."

Jeff gives him a one-arm side-hug. "Hey, maybe it won't be bad. I know you don't get on with her well; but she invited you over..."

'Yeah, invited' Kurt thinks.

"...So, she must be trying. I'm sure it'll be great." Jeff finishes with an optimistic smile.

"Yeah" Kurt agrees with no conviction. He's sure none of them pick it up; no one ever does. "Thanks Jeff. Thanks to all of you for the past couple days."

They all say goodbye with hugs and jokes and promises of seeing him again. Mrs. Sterling's hug is especially tight; she extracts from him a rather serious promise to call them if he ever needs anything. Mr. Sterling drives him back to Dalton.

There he picks up his own car and drives straight to the Cote's apartment. Laurette had demanded he be there by nine a.m. and he isn't risking taking extra punches in the beating he fears he is destined for, by being late again.

He opens the door to find them both there and waiting. They grin victoriously. Vincent clamps a hand down on his shoulder. "Well looky here, the dirty fag can follow orders." He laughs maliciously.

Kurt glares at him, refusing to let his fear show. "I'm your nephew that you're fostering. That entails providing for my needs, not giving me orders. If you've reached middle age without learning that then do the world a favor and find yourself a cave because you must be a troglodyte."

Milliseconds later Kurt finds his back slammed into the wall. Fists like iron are clamped around his shoulders. "What did you just say!? What the hell did you just say to me, you sissy little freak!?" The hulking man fumes.

"Careful, Vinny." Laurette nonchalantly warns. "Can't leave any marks on him before Ms. Newton leaves tomorrow."

Vincent very reluctantly drops Kurt with an animal-like snarl. Kurt rubs his shoulders and looks concerned towards Laurette. "Tomorrow?" he asks.

"Yes; tomorrow. Ms. Newton will be over in the afternoon for the check-up." Laurette smirks at the panic seeping through his defenses.

"The why am I here today?" he hardly dares ask.

Both of them grin with small glints of what Kurt can only think of as evil. "You're here so we can make sure you dress and behave properly tomorrow." She says.

He tenses and glares at her; because, really? "You should worry about your own behavior; it's far more deplorable than mine has ever been." Kurt wishes he'd bit his tongue on those words after Vincent's fist smashes into the side of his head. He falls to the ground at their feet, ear throbbing.

Vincent presses him into the floor with one stinky foot. "You insolent waste!" Kurt hears through the buzzing in his head. A wad of saliva hits Kurt's face as Vincent yells. Kurt writhes under the heavy foot and degrading names, unable to escape.

Kurt is raking through his own mind to think of any way to get out of this situation. "I haven't brought anything to stay the night." He gasps out. "I'll have to go back to Dalton to get stuff." And not come back, he adds silently.

Laurette laughs at that. "Oh, don't worry, smudge, we've got everything you'll need." She beckons. They finally leave the entryway of the apartment. Kurt is dragged into the living room by Vincent via his impeccably styled, at least it had been, hair. He is shoved into the loveseat. "We got you some normal clothes." She holds up a graphic white t-shirt that must be at least two sizes too big for him, the most atrocious neon yellow basketball shorts and matching tennis shoes.

"I am not wearing that! It's ghastly!" He protests.

"You'll wear it and be happy." She insists.

"No! I'll go grab some from Dalton." He stands but is stopped from going farther.

"You're not going to leave this apartment until we give you permission." She hisses. "Now go to your room. We'll bring you lunch later."

"No" he refuses. Vincent easily picks up the struggling Kurt and lugs him to the closet they call his 'room'. There, Kurt is thrown with excessive force onto the floor. The ugly clothes follow him. Vincent slams the door behind him and clicks the lock.

Kurt throws himself against the door and yells at them through it. He huffs in frustration when they give no response. With one last scream and punch to the door he turns to observe his prison for the next 24 plus hours.

His eyes are quickly caught by the blue fabric laying in a heap on the otherwise featureless cot. He picks up the shredded pieces to find, to his displeasure and utter disgust, that it is made of modal and has skulls printed across it. His Alexander McQueen scarf from the last check-up.

He releases a frustrated yell.

He pulls his phone from his pocket. He recognizes that it is well after 9am here and therefore well after 10pm in the Philippines. But, the overwhelming need to talk to his rock in the tragedy he calls his life, Blaine, resurges in him. "Pick up. Pick up." He begs.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached- the same automated voice as last night speaks.

He hangs up and redials.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached-

Again.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached-

And again.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached-

…

Eventually he gives up and collapses onto the rickety cot with tears streaming from his eyes. A destroyed designer scarf, the worst creations of fabric he's ever seen and the clothes on his back are all he's got. He is at the mercy of Laurette and Vincent, completely alone.

A few hours later Kurt is curled up against the wall, on the cot, staring at his phone, begging it to ring with a call from Blaine. He misses Laurette coming in. The saran-wrapped sandwich thrown at him takes him by surprise. She snatches the phone from his hand as he makes a move to shove it into his pocket. "Who were you calling?" she demands and scrolls through his recents. "Who's Blaine?"

Kurt is kneeling up on the bed trying to get his phone back. "He's a friend."

"A friend you've called dozens of times in the past day? Sound more like you've got a disgusting gay crush on him." She sneers at him. She continues looking through the calls; as well as keeping the phone out of Kurt's reach. She suddenly laughs. "Looks like he doesn't reciprocate the feeling though. Not a single one has been answered. I don't think he likes you very much, brat. Though, who does? You're a despicable piece of trash."

"He's my best friend. He cares about me!" Kurt asserts.

Laurette laughs again. She draws herself into Kurt's personal space, getting right up in his face and whispering cruelly. "No, he doesn't. Otherwise he would have picked up your calls. He must hate you." Kurt shivers unwillingly in her gaze. Her breath washes over his face hotly. Even as he backs away she keeps pressing closer. "No one cares about you. no one…" she begins whispering a list into his ear. "I hate you." Obviously, but Kurt doesn't care. "Vinny hates you." Again, Kurt doesn't care.

"You're just another item to take care of on Ms. Newton's list. She doesn't care about you; she wants you out of her hair. You heard her last time, she doesn't want to do these check-ups." Kurt rolls his eyes. Does she really think this is hurting his feelings? He feels the same about each of them, after all.

"Those so-called friends of yours don't care." Of course, they do. She wouldn't know anything about it. "They let you leave and haven't been 'round to see you since." Well, no they haven't come to visit him at Dalton. But, he went to see them do 'Rocky Horror'. He had a sleep over with the girls. He talks to Mercedes all the time via texts and calls.

"Not even that Flynn. Or his mommy. They knew about Vinny hitting you. They said they wanted to take you in." They do. Of course, they do. But they couldn't. "But they didn't fight after they were told no. They really happy they didn't have to take you in. Happy not to have all your faggy clothes and personality around." Finn has always had a bit of a problem with his sexuality. NO! Finn didn't mean that; Kurt rebukes the stray thoughts about that night in the basement. "They let me and Vinny take you and hurt you. They don't care." Kurt's eyes are squeezed shut against the doubts creeping into his mind. Laurette is continually pressing closer to his ear, her whispers becoming more snakelike with each word.

"And this Blaine" she continues, "you've made it all up in your head. He doesn't like you at all. He's ignoring your calls." No, he's not. He's not! He's just in the Philippines. "He's glad to be away from you and your pathetic creepy crush." Blaine does like Kurt. He cares about him. They are friends.

"Even your own parents hated you." There's no way that is true. "They hated you so much they would rather be dead then with you." One tear slips unauthorized down Kurt's cheek. She's wrong. None of that can be true.

Laurette pulls away and walks briskly out of the room, with Kurt's phone, finished and satisfied with the damage she came to do.

Kurt remains on the cot for hours, curled up, trying to forget her words. The sandwich she'd brought him remains untouched. As does the pasta she brings in later that night for dinner. Through the night he doesn't move; slipping back and forth between semi- and un-consciousness.

The hypnotic insentience he is trapped in breaks late the next morning by Vincent pounding on his door telling him that Ms. Newton is coming, that they will come retrieve him when she gets there and warning him to get dressed in the 'boy clothes'. Kurt shakes himself up, feeling exhausted. He tells himself to focus. He's got a long day to survive.

He glances over in disgust at the (hardly-deserve-to-be-called) clothes on the floor. They are even worse after spending the night crumpled on the floor, dirty and wrinkled. He cannot where those. The fighting spirit in him roars in agreement. One small rebellion against his abusers. Better the same, day old, slept in sweater and skinny jeans he has on than those.

He stands at the door ready when he hears Ms. Newton come into the apartment a couple hours later, shoves the haunting words of the previous night down, and straightens his clothes and hair to the best of his ability. The second the door opens with Laurette 'saying' "Ms. Newton is here. Come out and talk to her, lamb", he pushes through. Her look transforms into one of horror. But, as Kurt had expected Ms. Newton is standing right there as well. Laurette can't well yell at him to change in front of her without causing suspicion. "Hello Ms. Newton."

"Hello Kurt. It's good to see you." She says apathetically. "I hope you've been adjusting better this month. Shall we talk?"

Their talk goes just as well as he expects. Worse than last time; she doesn't listen and contradicts everything he says. Apparently, all the problems that he perceives having with the Cotes are his fault. She once again leaves scolding him and praising the Cotes are how well they are doing in "an obviously difficult situation". Then comes the beating.

Laurette has a written list this time. Every little breathe he's taken that they consider out of line. Over a dozen punches guaranteed, likely more. But this time he doesn't stand and take it. He ducks and dodges as much as he can. Mostly, it just results in the fists landing somewhere else on his body and an increasingly enraged Vincent. Kurt also pushes back, tries to run each time there is a short break between the raining punches. He can't escape. The final number of hits he takes greatly exceeds the original estimation. The punches stop and Kurt blacks out a for a moment in relief.

He comes to on the living room floor. He doesn't get the chance to leave. Vincent drags him back to the closet-sized room and throws him onto the floor. Barely able to move his injured body he lays there for hours. The physical and emotional pain all he that he can think of. Despite his efforts he cannot summon any happy memories as a distraction. The thumping in his head makes it impossible to even remember what Blaine's face looks like. He is locked in there until well after the sun has set. Only then do they kick him out of the apartment, fortunately returning his phone, with threats against him.

While limping up to the door of the dorms another car pulls into the parking lot. Jeff's voice calls from it. "Hey, Kurt!" Kurt ignores him and speeds up his pace, hoping the other boy doesn't notice his limp. He makes it inside before Jeff can catch up to him.

The stairs are killer on his sore legs but he makes it to his dorm room. It is dark and silent. He collapses into a sobbing heap on his bed, grateful Nick isn't coming back until tomorrow morning. There is only one living person he wants right now.

Kurt knows Blaine is probably on a plane and unavailable. He calls anyway.

-the number you are calling cannot be reached-


	26. The Lonely

_Hello again. I loved all the reviews I got for the last chapter. Thank you all so much. I'm sorry to say this is another depressing chapter but it ends happier; and to balance it out the next chapter is full of pranks, pizza, games, and a little Niff; so just power through to reach it. All shall be rewarded in the end._

 _I've gotten a couple messages wondering if Ms. Newton is in on the abuse. Just to clear this up I'm going to say no. She is not in on the abuse; she is just oblivious and very bad at her job. It will come back to bite her in the butt eventually. And, oh what a glorious day that will be. I'm very much looking forward to it._

 _Please read and review. I love to hear from you. Thanks._

 _Disclaimer: Fox owns glee and Christina Perri owns the song, "The Lonely"._

 _Take note *Lola means Grandma in Tagalog (the Philippine language)_

Kurt sits and waits in his room through the dark night and the morning sunrise. No return call ever comes from Blaine. Too soon it is time to get ready for class.

Kurt pulls himself up from the floor. If he's alone, so be it. He can take care of himself. He doesn't need anyone. The half-used tube of Arnica is among his moisturizers. Alone, he cleans himself up and covers the bruises. No one can know, not even Blaine; because no one cares. In the mirror he practices his expressions until he is satisfied that nothing outward reflects even a glimmer of what is within.

Kurt exits the bathroom to find Nick has arrived. "Hey Kurt!" He greets as he ducks past him into the bathroom.

Kurt returns the "hey", perhaps a bit lackluster, he'll have to work on that.

Nick had gotten breakfast on his way back to the school this morning and Kurt doesn't worry about making it down to the cafeteria. Together they head straight out of their dorm room and to class.

Kurt arrives at the Warblers table for lunch with a minimal meal on his plate and is greeted by all the others cheerily. Everyone is chattering about their weekends. Seems everyone had a fantastic time. Nick and Jeff are sitting across from Kurt with their hands and legs entwined as they catch up after their five days apart. They are completely wound up in each other, giving Kurt a moment of anonymity.

Blaine slips into the opens seat next to him and throws his arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. Kurt does his best to not flinch as the tender bruises that cover his arms and chest throb. He doesn't hug back. Blaine pulls away without noticing. "Hi Kurt! How was your weekend? You called me a lot. Sorry I couldn't pick up; phone service was nonexistent at my *Lola's house. But, did you have fun with Jeff and his family?" He rambles.

"Yeah. It was great." Kurt says as faux-happily as he can manage. "Mrs. Sterling is an amazing cook. And I won the game of Twister."

"Oh yeah he did!" Jeff bursts from across the table. "He crushed the rest of us! it was crazy! Did you know he used to be a cheerleader?!" Kurt is grateful for Jeff taking over the tale of their shared time. He has fully captured the interest of all the warblers, guaranteeing that none are paying Kurt any attention. Kurt can fade into the background until Blaine stiffens next to him at Jeff's last words. "My family liked him so much that they were disappointed when he had to leave on Saturday morning."

"Wait, what? Why did he leave?" Blaine asks. He flicks his gaze back and forth between Jeff and Kurt.

Kurt remains quiet. It's Jeff who answers. "He got invited to spend the rest of the weekend with his aunt."

Blaine does a surprisingly good job at hiding his surprise. But he keeps giving Kurt concerned looks throughout the rest of lunch. Kurt ignores him. When they separate from the others to go to music class Blaine sidles up close to him. "Are you okay? What happened at you aunts?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Are you hurt?" Blaine presses on.

"I said, I'm fine." Kurt takes a seat in the classroom towards the back. Blaine sits next to him with a distraught and hurt look on his face. Kurt ignores him for the whole lesson. Then departs the lesson without waiting for Blaine.

He makes sure to sit away from Blaine during Warbler's rehearsal. In turn Blaine keeps casting him not so subtle looks of confusion and worry. The thoughts in Kurt's head are making it difficult to be around him though. He knows Blaine cares; but the horrible weekend he had is making it hard for him to remember who is or isn't a real friend. After rehearsal Kurt escapes without talking to Blaine as the other boy is pulled aside by the council.

Kurt spends the evening in the library, where he is sure he can remain hidden from Blaine. He only returns to his dorm when the library closes just before curfew.

He doesn't go to breakfast the next day, avoiding Blaine as much as he can. Unfortunately, he is stopped on the stairs. "Hey, Kurt! Wait up."

He stalls and glances back long enough for his friend to catch up. "I don't want to talk, Blaine." He turns away and tries to slip into the crowds going down the stairs.

Blaine keeps up with him. "This isn't about last weekend." Blaine assuages. "I get that you don't want to talk about it yet and we don't have to right now. We can deal with that later. This is about the Warblers."

They're kicking him out, is Kurt's immediate assumption. He sighs and keeps his head down. Whatever. It was bound to happen. Nobody cares. Everyone hates him. Of course, they would take away his reasons for living.

"We, I mean Wes, David and I, know you're going through a hard time right now; even if they don't now the details. And this school has a tradition of rewarding a good attitude. We recognize the efforts you're making to adjust to Dalton and everything going on in your family life; and we want to reward you for it." Kurt finally looks up at the other boy, who has stopped on the stair above him. "We would like to invite to audition for a solo."

Kurt freezes up and stares wide eyed at the gorgeous smiling face that is Blaine's. "For sectionals?" He asks softly, barely able to believe it.

Blaine's grin widens and he confirms, "For sectionals." Blaine slowly backs up the staircase to go to his class. "Sing something good."

Spirit's lifted some, Kurt goes to his classes with a new vigor.

That afternoon he returns to his room to pour through his sheet music. One song after another come out as not quite right. Soon the room is covered in loose papers he's thrown out of his way. Nick comes in and looks around stunned. "You were invited to audition for a solo too?"

"Yeah, were you?" Kurt asks.

Nick nods. "Jeff too. Having difficulties deciding on a song?" he asks amused.

Kurt glares at the snicker he knows his roommate is holding in. "Yes. none of these are right." He growls in frustration.

"Okay, calm down. It's not that big of a deal." Nick begins picking up the scattered sheets. He hands them back to Kurt. "Easiest way to do this? Turn on your I-pod or the radio and just listen until a song speaks to you. As long as the song speaks to you, and fits your voice, you'll do great."

"I don't know. I need a song I know I'm amazing at. I can't sing something random." Kurt says.

"It works for Jeff and me. We've both auditioned like this a few times."

"Did you get those solos?" Kurt asks.

"Neither of us has gotten a whole song solo. But we've gotten a few lines. Jeff got a whole verse once." Kurt is unconvinced. "You don't have to do it. But, it works and makes the whole process less stressful." Nick finalizes.

Kurt continues to pour through his sheet music, mentally considering Nick's idea as more and more songs fail him. Finally, he gives in and picks up his I-pod. He sets all his songs on shuffle and puts the earphones in. He spends hours listening and dismissing songs. Some take as little as one line before he's skipping them; none make it all the way through without being skipped. Honestly, this is nearly as frustrating as the sheet music had been.

It's getting late, he's becoming drowsy, when a song begins playing. In his ears or his soul, he isn't sure; but, as it plays he feels it. He falls asleep with the lyrics swimming around his head.

Kurt doesn't have very much time the next day to rehearse his song but keeps humming and singing it quietly and unawares in his classes. Finally, and all too soon, he is sitting in the Warbler's hall. Nick and Jeff go before him for the auditions. They both do really well with their upbeat pop songs.

Kurt's turn comes. He takes his spot in the middle of the room.

"2am, where do I begin?

Crying off my face again.

The silent sound of loneliness

Wants to follow me to bed.

I'm a ghost of the one that I want to be most;

I'm the shell of the one that I used to know well.

Dancing slowly in an empty room;

Can the lonely take the place of you?

I sing myself a quiet lullaby;

Let you go and let the lonely in

To take my heart again.

Too afraid to go inside

For the pain of one more loveless night.

For the loneliness will stay with me

And hold me till I fall asleep.

I'm a ghost of the one that I want to be most;

I'm the shell of the one that I used to know well.

Dancing slowly in an empty room;

Can the lonely take the place of you?

I sing myself a quiet lullaby;

Let you go and let the lonely in

To take my heart again.

Broken pieces of

A barely breathing story

Where there once was love

Now there's only me

And the lonely.

Dancing slowly in an empty room;

Can the lonely take the place of you?

I sing myself a quiet lullaby;

Let you go and let the lonely in

To take my heart again."

Kurt comes out of the trance he'd been sunk into during the song. All around the other Warblers are silent and stunned. The frightened and horrified looks on their faces make him realize what he just sung to them. The song is intense and dark; not really appropriate for a glee club competition. Kurt blushes in humiliation. His gaze darts around the room, looking for someone to do something. No one speaks or moves. He meets Blaine's eyes; Blaine looks despairing. From behind him Wes' voice beaks the silence in a disconcerting squeak, "Um… Warbler Kurt…" But Kurt is already running out the door, entirely mortified.

Footsteps, he's pretty sure he knows who they belong to, follow him through the halls. Sure enough, Blaine catches him. Once that warm hand touches his arm Kurt collapses to a stop on his knees. Blaine is down with him in an instant, pulling him into his arms. Kurt clings to his best friend that he's been rudely avoiding. "I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot. I'm so stupid. I can't believe I just did that." He gasps out quietly.

Baine squeezes him. "You're not stupid. You was great; you sounded good. Shh, shh." He says.

Kurt gasps a breath and moans mournfully into Blaine's chest.

"You're gonna be okay. But, you need to tell me what's going on." Blaine slowly pulls them both to their feet. "C'mon. In here." He takes them into an empty classroom, sits them down in chairs and pulls Kurt closer as he cries. "What happened this weekend?" Blaine asks slowly. "Kurt, what's wrong? You need to talk to me. you promised to tell me everything; so, I need to know what's going on" He waits… "Please, Kurt."

Kurt opens his mouth to speak but only choked moans and gasping breaths emit from him. Both his inner self and Blaine encourage him to breathe. "They-they locked me in the room. She t-told me that everyone h-hates-" his speech dissolves into more whines.

"I don't hate you Kurt. Okay. She lied. I don't hate you. I love you. You're my best friend." Blaine whispers softly understanding the words Kurt can't say. "Did they beat you again?"

Kurt can only nod. "They- he…"

Blaine gingerly pulls him in tighter. "Shh, I know. It's okay. I'll help you with the bruises later. For now, just say what you need to; cry for as long as you want. I've got you." Blaine calms and brushes his fingers through Kurt's hair.

"I used Arnica." Kurt whispers just to say something.

"Good. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

Kurt slowly calms down to Blaine humming Disney songs. The whole process takes at least a quarter hour.

Once he's calm enough Blaine turns the conversation, sitting them up to face each other. "Kurt, don't ever cut me out again." Blaine says sternly.

"I won't" he mumbles back.

Blaine squeezes Kurt's arms and insists. "Promise me. You had me scared this week. I knew you must've been hurt but you weren't talking to me. You kept disappearing and you stooped eating again. You can't do that to yourself."

"I promise. I'm sorry." Kurt holds Blaine's gaze to let him know he's serious. He'd hated the past few days as well. He missed Blaine.

Blaine nods. "Good. I worry about you; you know that, right? I care about you a lot." He squeezes Kurt's hands tightly. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me. If you stop talking to me I have to assume the worst. And next time, if you don't come to me, I will have to tell someone else what's going on, just to make sure you are getting help. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kurt nods in understanding. He leans over to Blaine and pulls him into a hug, taking on the role of comforter for a minute. "I'm sorry. I know. Thank you." He can't get full sentences out but knows that Blaine understands his shorthand.

Kurt turns his head and presses a small kiss to the side of Blaine's face to seal the promise. Blaine returns it and asks him if he wants to go to Carson's tonight. He accepts readily; not wanting to face the questions of his fellow Warblers nor the cafeteria's food. First, Blaine takes him back to his room. Nick and Jeff are there; they tell Kurt and Blaine that practice was cut short. At Kurt's inquiry they also tell him that they will both have solo parts in one of the songs at sectionals. Kurt nods in disappointed acceptance, though it is as he expected. He and Blaine retreat into the bathroom to clean him up and give Blaine a chance to look over Kurt's injuries. The list and expanse of them are extensive; it takes the two boys over an hour to assess, apply the proper medication to and re-cover all of them with makeup. When it is eventually finished with they are finally able to leave for the restaurant.


	27. Traditions

_Hello! As promised this chapter is more fun and less serious and depressing. With dashes of Klaine and Niff. Because Niff deserve to have solos; they both moved on in the auditions but didn't get a song at sectionals for goodness sake. So, I changed the cannon and gave them a song._

 _Enjoy the chapter and leave a review please._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song "All The Right Moves"._

Friday night holds an extra long rehearsal, seeing as sectionals is the next day. Really though, it just keeps going. And the dismissal Wes gives after seven is only a sort-of dismissal. "Go to your rooms and take a nap." Kurt feels like he's missing something.

Nick does take a nap immediately when they get back to their dorm. "You should get some sleep." He encourages Kurt.

"What about dinner? It's not that late. Why are we napping?" Kurt asks.

"Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep." Nick says.

Seeing as it is still quite early and he feels suspicious of the happenings Kurt can't manage to fall asleep very fast. But as the hours tick by and nothing happens he finds himself lulled into a numb sort-of sleep.

He's out of it enough that the hand over his mouth at midnight comes as a complete surprise. He jerks his eyes open in shock to find dark bodies gathered above him against an equally dark background. They are jostling and manhandling him, tying a blindfold around his head. Unaware of his recent injuries the kidnappers are aggravating them. He lashes out in panic; unfortunately, the hand over his mouth keeps him from screaming. The people kidnapping him, for that is what he has guessed they are doing, laugh. Their voices sound familiar.

He tries to call out for Nick, Blaine, even his dad. No one comes to his aid; the kidnappers had probably taken Nick as well, Blaine is in the other dorm hall peacefully oblivious to Kurt's peril, and his dad is, well, dead.

The kidnappers drag Kurt to his feet and out of the room, giggling all the while. Kurt shuts up in compete terror when these men start insistently saying, "Shh". They almost silently make their way through Woodsworth and across the campus yard. They get in some big car, Kurt assumes is a stereotypical kidnapping van. Kurt is sat in a seat and boxed in by a couple of the kidnappers, one on each side, gripping his arms and keeping a hand over his mouth.

More people board the van for a few minutes after he is sat. He can hear struggling from other victims being dragged in and forced into seats. There are more victims. This is something bigger than he thought.

Kurt starts jerking his limbs around, trying to escape. The two holding him have to release his mouth to keep him restrained. He takes the chance to scream; to call out for help. More hands come to assist them. His next cry is of pain as one of them presses against a particularly nasty bruise on his ribs. Another voice Kurt is sure he would recognize if he were calmer reprimands the men on him quietly. A few pairs of the hands on him leave and are replaced by a new single pair. These he recognizes for the moment they are on him before they are yanked off him. Blaine. They have Blaine. Kurt fights harder.

He's screaming and sobbing and wrestling with the kidnappers. Through the chaos and noise one voice, Blaine's voice, reaches Kurt's ears. "You are actually freaking him out." And suddenly all the hands are off of him. Only one set returns, the warm calloused hands of Blaine that are a familiar comfort to him.

Kurt lunges straight into Blaine and clings to him desperately. Blaine pulls him into a more comfortable sitting position on his lap. "Shh, Kurt. Calm down. It's okay. Shh." Blaine repeats.

Blaine's hands work the knot at the back of his head and pull the blindfold off. To Kurt's view appears the inside of a bus. Rows of benches filled with Warblers. Every first year Warbler is blindfolded and being held to a seat by two older Warblers. Two seniors Kurt doesn't know well, Nicholas and John, are sitting in the bench Kurt had just been sitting on. Those Warblers not sat with another first year are surrounding Kurt; all having looks of either guilt, confusion, surprise, or some combination thereof. "W-what-?" Kurt splutters.

Blaine pulls him in and whispers very softly into his ear. "It's a prank. It's okay, you're not in any danger. But you need to be quiet, we can't clue the others in."

Kurt pulls back to look at Blaine. "What? Why would…?"

"Shh" Blaine hushes. He puts his mouth back to Kurt's ear. "It's a tradition we have to 'kidnap' all the new kids the night before sectionals each year. We go to the venue and play games and sing. It's a silly, fun team-building tradition. We didn't mean to actually scare you. I didn't think it would scare you that bad. I'm sorry."

It's true the freshmen weren't freaking out like he had been; and Luke, another junior, who had transferred to Dalton at the beginning of the year, was totally calm between his 'kidnappers' James and Jesse. Kurt's breathing calms fully. He lays against Blaine's shoulder. "That's wasn't funny."

"Sorry." Blaine repeats. "Are you okay, though?"

Kurt nods.

"Okay. Let's get on a seat." Blaine says then turns to Andrew, a big, goofy senior, who kind of reminds Kurt of Finn, except for the red hair. Blaine tells him "Let's go." And Andrew takes the driver's seat of the bus.

Kurt and Blaine take an empty bench towards the back where they can talk a little more freely. Nick and Jeff take the bench behind them; but, lean over the back of the set to talk to them. The three of them keep Kurt distracted through the ride and manage to cheer him up.

They pull around the back of the venue where the bus is less likely to be spotted. Quietly, or at least they are trying to be quiet, the two freshman and Luke are shuffled into the venue by their 'kidnappers'. They all convene on the stage. The blindfolds are pulled off the other boys. They all take the prank better than Kurt had; which makes him feel embarrassed. At least until Blaine grabs his hand and holds it in his own.

"Okay Warblers!" Wes gathers attention. "Let's first practice our songs and choreography once or twice. Then we can get to the games."

The songs that had been selected are "Hey Soul Sister by Train and All the Right Moves by One Republic. Jeff and Nick get their solo lines in the latter alongside Blaine.

Blaine starts. Niff together join him on every other line of the chorus.

"All the right friends in all the right places

So yeah, we're going down.

They got all the right moves and all the right faces

So yeah, we're going down."

Jeff gets the whole first verse as a solo, stepping out from the group and dancing around with Blaine.

"Let's paint the picture

Of the perfect place

They've got it better than

What anyone's told you

They'll be the king of hearts

And you're the queen of spades

Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers

I know we got it good

But they got it made

And the grass is getting greener each day.

I know things are looking up

But soon they'll take us down

Before anybody's knowing our name"

At the chorus they return to the set up as in the beginning of the songs, with Blaine on lead and Niff accompanying.

"They've got all the right friends in all the right places

So yeah, we're going down.

They got all the right moves and all the right faces

So yeah, we're going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, were going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, were going down."

Nick gets the second verse.

"Do you think I'm special?

Do you think I'm nice?

Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?

Between the noise you hear

And the sounds you like

Are we just sinking in the ocean of faces?

It can't be possible

The rain can fall

Only when it's over our heads

The sun is shining every day,

But it's far away.

Over the world that's dead.

The chorus again; and Blaine continues as the lead throughout the rest of the song.

"They' got

They got

All the right friends in all the right places

So yeah, we're going down.

They got all the right moves and all the right faces

So yeah, we're going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, were going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, were going down.

It don't matter what you see

I know I could never be

Someone that could look like you.

It don't matter what you say

I know I could never fake

Someone that could sound like you.

"All the right friends in all the right places

So yeah, we're going down.

They got all the right moves and all the right faces

So yeah, we're going down.

All the right friends in all the right places

So yeah, we're going down.

They got all the right moves and all the right faces

So yeah, we're going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, we're going down.

They say everybody knows

Everybody knows where we're going

Yeah, we're going down.

Yeah, we're going down.

Yeah, we're going down.

All the right moves.

Hey-ey

Yeah, we're going down.

All the right moves.

Hey-ey

Yeah, we're going down."

They only manage to rehearse the performances one and a half times through before they dissolve into pointless dancing and goofing off. Wes sighs in frustration but dismisses them to the floor for the pizza they'd bought on the way here, and for games.

All eighteen boys gather in a circle on the stage. The pizzas dot the floor inside of the circle. The decided game ends up being Truth or Dare. Which Kurt is honestly nervous about, having gotten to know these boys a little; but, it has to be better than playing it with the New Directions, right?

No; the answer is No. They are as bad as the New Directions. They love gross-out dares and embarrassing truths. Fortunately, his turn hasn't come yet. "Kurt, Truth or Dare?" Dang it.

"Uh…Truth?" he says without any confidence.

"What is the most embarrassing crush you've ever had?" It's Trent asking.

Kurt blushes. "Um, last year I had a crush on a guy who almost became my step-brother."

Most of the boys roll over in hysterical laughter. Jeff sits up quickly from his bout of amusement, "Wait, Finn?"

Kurt nods. Jeff cracks up in laughter again. "Can we move on please?" Kurt begs after a full minute.

It only takes the next couple questions and dares for them to entirely move on.

"Blaine, Truth or Dare?" David asks.

"Dare" Blaine answers unflinching.

David smiles deviously. "I dare you to go wash all the gel out of your hair."

Blaine's bravado falls as he complies. He returns a few minutes later with hair that is free and curly. He pouts as he retakes his seat next to Kurt. "I think it looks good like this." Kurt tells him. The pout vanishes as Kurt softly tugs on one of the bouncy curls with a smile on his face.

"Okay." Blaine is back to smiling. "Nick, Truth or dare?"

"Dare" Nick decides after a moment of contemplation.

"I dare you to kiss the person in this circle you think is the most attractive, besides Jeff." He tacks the last part on quickly as Nick immediately goes for his boyfriend.

Nick stops and pouts; Jeff pouts too.

"And it has to be at least five seconds long." Blaine adds.

Nick surveys the circle; the faces he makes as he takes in each person are hilarious. "None of you are anywhere near as hot as Jeff." He whines.

"Are you calling us all ugly?" Wes asks.

"No." Nick says. "You're just not attractive."

"Rude." James comments.

"Pick someone." Wes demands.

Nick begrudgingly gets to his feet. He cuts through the circle to Kurt and whispers a "Sorry" to him. Kurt flinches not expecting to have time to stop Nick from kissing him but trying anyway. Nick, however, grabs Blaine's collar and pulls him into a searing kiss. Kurt insides wrench violently in jealously. It only lasts five seconds before Nick pulls back, during which Kurt is giving his roommate his strongest death glare. Nick promptly runs back to his spot next to Jeff and immediately starts tonguing the blonde.

Blaine wipes his mouth off on his sleeves and says, "I didn't mean me."

After separating himself from Jeff's mouth Nick moves on with the game.

A few more rounds pass before it is Kurt's turn too be humiliated again. This time it's Wes' doing, "Truth or Dare, Kurt?"

There's no way he's getting out of this okay, and probing questions are one of his least favorite things, so he may as well go with "Dare".

"Hmm…ooh! I know. Jeff told us you used to be a cheerleader. Show us some of your tricks." Wes dares excitedly.

This is actually a lot tamer than Kurt had been expecting; he's immensely grateful. "Okay, just let me stretch first."

He starts out with some basic stretches: toe touches, twists, arms, etc. Then the more difficult ones: pulling his foot up to the back of his head, back bends, and full arm rotations around his body. He springs into a handless cartwheel. Followed by a roundoff that turns into three consecutive backflips. He pauses before springing into more complicated flips and spins. He ends with a front flip straight into the splits.

The on-watching boys hoot and cheer. He gets lots of high-fives and pats on the back as he returns to his seat. Blaine is staring at him openmouthed and speechless; his hands are squeezed together in his laps and he looks a little strained. "Are you okay, Blaine?" Kurt asks.

"Uh… yeah." He sounds a bit off too. "Kurt, that was… that was a-amazing." Blaine struggles to breathe.

"Thanks."

The other boys persist in their cheers and laughter, Kurt even thinks he hears a few wolf-whistles in there. Blaine straightens up and goes back to normal, arms still laying quite deliberately in his lap. Kurt resumes the game, unsure what had just taken over his best friend for those few moments.

They stay on the stage playing increasingly delirious games until morning. Just after dawn they pack up, throw the pizza boxes away, and head back to the school to take short naps and get ready for the competition this afternoon.


	28. Sectionals

_Hello, dear readers! It's sectionals time! I've had the ideas for this chapter in my head since the beginning, so, I'm really excited to finally post it. This has a bit of everything: The Warblers, The ND, Mama Carole, hints of Klaine and Niff, fun surprises, and no Laurette or Vincent or Ms. Newton. The Sterling family makes an appearance, because apparently my subconscious decided they are going to play a bigger part in this story than I originally thought. I gave Niff their solos in competition, because they deserve it. Also, I'm not a big fan of Rachel, I love her the way I love an annoying sister or cousin, I would be sad if she was gone, but she's such a selfish jerk that drives me absolutely crazy. So, I may bash her a little in here._

 _Next chapter begins the Christmas season at Dalton; there will be some feels but no more abuse until they hit January. I can't bear to ruin Christmas for Kurt._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story line._

The Warblers arrive back to the competition venue for sectionals in the afternoon. They've all taken naps and showers and are dressed in their nicest blazers. Kurt heads over to the concessions stand to grab a drink and some Redvines for Blaine. There he spots a familiar Blonde. "Hey Sam." He says.

Sam turns around. "Oh, hey… uh, Warbler guy. David? No! um…"

"Kurt." He supplies laughing.

"Right." Sam says awkwardly.

"So, how are the New Directions? Still trying to spy?" Kurt teases; also trying to subtly find out how his friends are doing.

"No! We stopped spying. I promise." Sam says quickly.

"Good. I'd hate to have to turn you in; I'm looking forward to seeing your performance." Kurt says.

"Yeah, thanks. You too. I know you guys are good, so me too." Sam says.

"SAM!" Rachel's voice cuts across the lobby. Kurt and Sam both snap up to look at her; only catching glimpses of her through the sea of people going into the auditorium. "Sam! Do they have Raisinettes?"

"I should go find my team." Kurt dismisses himself and gets out of there before Rachel has the chance to recognize him. That was close.

He returns to the green room to hide out. Blaine is waiting for him. "Did you bring me my candy? Where's my Redvines?" He begs.

"No. I almost ran into Rachel. I had to escape before she recognized me or our plan would be ruined." Kurt says.

Blaine frowns and nods in sad acceptance and lays against Kurt, sadly and without candy.

Kurt pulls out his phone and texts Mercedes. She's expecting him to be in here to cheer them on and is worried that she hasn't seen him come in yet. He texts back promising her he'll be in the audience to see her performance. Blaine reads the text conversation from Kurt's shoulder and laughs.

Wes calls them to order, they only have a few minutes before the performances start. In those few minutes the Warblers run through their harmonies and choreography. Wes is fanatical about every little detail, lecturing them about professionalism and showmanship and manners. His intensity is overwhelming to Kurt. The New Directions are nothing like this. They're chaotic and loose.

Case in point, Wes' tirade is interrupted by the New Directions screaming from down the hall. Kurt recognizes it as Rachel's voice; she's refusing to go onstage. More shouting breaks out from them. The Warblers, except Kurt, are all stunned into silence; Kurt bites his tongue to keep from laughing at the drama of his old friends. The argument down the hall are broken up by one loud yell of "Enough!" from Mr. Schue. "Listen to yourselves!" he continues to speak, though he softens his voice so the words become indistinct.

The Warblers break into shocked chuckles. "Okay then." Someone says.

Practice dissolves at that; time is up. They move to the auditorium and take their seats in the audience for the Hipsters' performance. Kurt lays low keeping Blaine in between him and the New Directions, not that they even look his way. While surveying the audience he spots Carole a few rows away. The Hipsters finish and the Warblers take the stage.

The first song they do is 'Hey Soul Sister'. Blaine is singing the lead for the entire song.

"He-ey, he-ey, he-ey

Tonight

Hey, (Hey) hey, (Hey) hey

Your lipstick stains

On the front lobe of my

Left-side brains

I knew I wouldn't forget you

And so I went and let you

Blow my mind

(Let you blow my mind)"

Blaine breaks from the formation to add a bit more dance and play to the performance. At 'blow my mind' he comes over to Kurt and gestures his hands to match the words. The attention Blaine gives him pulls the New Directions' attention to him as well. He's been watching them since he stepped out on stage and they didn't recognize him until now. Kurt watches Mercedes nudge Tina and soon all of them are pointing and gawking. He smiles cheekily at them and winks as he continues with his performance.

"Your sweet moonbeam

The smell of you in every

Single dream I dream

I knew when we collided

You're the one I have decided

Who's one of my kind

(You're one of my kind)

Hey soul sister

Ain't that mister mister

On the radio, stereo

The way you move ain't fair, you know

Hey soul sister

I don't wanna miss a single thing you do

Tonight

Hey, (Hey) hey, (Hey) hey

Just in time

I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me

You gave my life direction

A game show love connection

We can't deny

('ny, 'ny)

I'm so obsessed

My heart is bound to beat

Right out my untrimmed chest

I believe in you

Like a virgin, you're Madonna

And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind

Hey soul sister

Ain't that mister mister

On the radio, stereo

The way you move ain't fair, you know

Hey soul sister

I don't wanna miss a single thing you do

Tonight

The way you can cut a rug

Watching you is the only drug I need

So gangster, I'm so thug

You're the only one I'm dreaming of

You see, I can be myself now finally

In fact there's nothing I can't be

I want the world to see you'll be with me

Hey soul sister

Ain't that mister mister

On the radio, stereo

The way you move ain't fair, you know

Hey soul sister

I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight

Hey soul sister

I don't wanna miss a single thing you do

Tonight

Hey, (Hey) hey, (Hey) hey

Tonight

(Hey) hey, (Hey) hey, (Hey) hey

Tonight."

Kurt barley holds back his pleasure at the faces his friends are making at him from the audience. They're clapping and mouthing things at him. The Warblers launch into their next song. Nick and Jeff kill their parts. The Warblers exit the stage, bouncing back to their green room. The New Directions appear in the hall at the same time to prepare for their performance. "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!" Mercedes yells and parts the boys in her way to get to Kurt. She pulls him into a fierce hug, then shakes him yelling, "You didn't tell me you were one of them now!"

The Warblers freeze in their celebrations to watch in wonder as Kurt is surrounded by the New Directions. The girls nearly smother him in hugs. All of them are shouting their disbelief and surprise at him.

"Oh my gosh, Kurt! I've missed to so much." Tina coos.

"Kurtie! Dolphin!" Brittany kisses his cheek.

"You're our competition!?" Rachel shrieks. "How could you do this to us? To me? I thought we were friends! How could you abandon us to our competition?"

Kurt rolls his eyes, cocks out his hip with one hand placed on it sassily and says. "Really, Rachel? Don't be such a selfish bitch. One, we've never really been friends and two, rather more important, you know I didn't have a choice to leave McKinley." He glares.

"Wait! You went to McKinley?" Wes demands, interrupting whatever rude and selfish retort Rachel was about to make.

"Yes." Kurt smirks. "Warblers meet the New Directions. New Directions meet the Warblers. And just to make things clear for everyone I used to be a member of the New Directions; now I'm a Warbler. Got it? Good."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have got a leg up on them." James askes.

"As if he'd tell you anything. He's loyal to us. He would've helped us." Rachel argues with the blonde warbler.

"No, I wouldn't have. That's why I didn't." Kurt insists. "My loyalties are split between you because you are all my friends. I didn't say anything so that none of you would try to get me to cheat for either team." He explains. "And because Blaine thought it would be hilarious when you all found out."

"It is." Blaine remarks. "Their faces when they saw you onstage were as amusing as I imagined."

Rachel is indignant to that comment. The others take it better conceding that they probably looked as shocked as they were. Mercedes studies Blaine intently, drawing close to him. "So, you're the famous Blaine." She says.

"Famous? I don't know about that. But, yes, I'm Blaine. You must be Mercedes. I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you." He extends a hand.

She ignores the offer and pokes him in the chest. "I've heard a lot about you too. Kurt doesn't shut up about you. So, you better be good to him." She insists with an underlying threat. Then she switches to cheery when Kurt scolds her by name. "It's nice to meet you too." She finishes.

The other New Direction girls are all eyeing him too. Brittany jumps at him once Mercedes has backed off, wrapping her arms around him exclaiming. "You're the dolphin who gives good hugs. Kurtie told me about you. He likes you lots you know." She rambles.

He blushes and awkwardly hugs her back. "Yeah. I like him too."

A bell chimes overhead. Mr. Schue claps his hands. "We've got to get onstage." He guides his team to the backstage doors. "It's good to meet you Warblers. Always great to see you Kurt." He pats the boy on the shoulder.

"You too. Mr. Schuster." He says. The Warblers are all watching him as he turns back to them beaming. "What?"

Blaine smiles wide and slings his arm around Kurt. "C'mon. Let's get to our seats so we can watch them."

The Warblers return to the auditorium to watch the New Directions. Kurt is pleasantly surprised to see Rachel swaying in the background through Sam and Quinn's duet and Santana's solo. He cheers enthusiastically for Brittany and Mike as they tear up the floor with their dance moves. At the end of the performance he is the first to jump to his feet and applaud them.

While the judges decide on the winners everyone wanders through the lobby; bathroom breaks, buying more snacks, and parents finding their kids who had performed. Kurt wants to find Carole and Finn. Which should be easy considering Finn is so tall. He keeps his eye out around the lobby as he goes around with his Warbler friends.

Before he finds the Hudsons, their group is spotted by one of the Sterling kids. He is plowed into by Julie. Jeff gets tackled by his younger brothers. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling give their congratulations to all the boys, dishing out hugs and handshakes. All Jeff's siblings run about giving forceful hugs, especially to Nick and Kurt. Kurt winces as subtly as he can as they each aggravate and re-aggravate his injuries. Mrs. Sterling comes over and reprimands them, telling them not to be so rough, and she pulls Kurt into a very gentle hug. "How are you, Sweetie? Is everything alright?" She asks with a look that's more discerning than he expects.

He smiles honestly at her. "Yeah. Everything is great. How're you?" The knowing look in her eyes remains, but, is perhaps slightly quelled by his answer.

He is suddenly wrapped in another gentle hug from another pair of motherly arms from behind. "I wasn't expecting to see you onstage." Carole says as he turns in her arms to embrace her back.

"That's the point of a surprise." He giggles.

"Hey, Mom!" Finn's calls as he runs into their group. "Oh, you found Kurt."

The bigger boy steals Kurt out of his mother's arms and lifts him off the floor in a tight hug. "Ow, Finn! Put me down!" He complains both with humor and pain.

He does quickly with a "Sorry". Kurt laughs it off and introduces, "This is Carole and Finn. They're my…they're sort-of… my family."

"Finn? The boy you had a crush on and then he almost became your step-brother?" Wes asks.

Kurt blushes. "Shut-up Wes."

Everyone else laughs. "We don't talk about that anymore. It's in the past." Finn says.

Mrs. Sterling shakes Carole's hand. "I'm Stormie Sterling. I'm Jeff's mom."

"You're the family that had Kurt over for Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for that. I felt so bad that I couldn't take him with us to our family's party." Carole returns.

"It was our pleasure. He's an amazing boy." Stormie assures. "He can come over any time he wants."

The two women hug then, some deeper bond having already formed between them. Jeff shakes his head, "How do Moms do that?" He whispers.

Nick laughs and kisses his cheek whispering back. "One of the mysteries of women we will never understand."

David and Wes crack up. Finn gives them a weird look. "Hey, Kurt. The other New Directions want to see you, too." He says.

Kurt bids goodbye to the Sterlings and tells the other Warblers he'll see them on stage for the results. Carole and Stormie say fond goodbyes as well. Then Kurt, Finn, and Carole make their way over to where most of the New Directions are gathered.

"Hey, Lady-face." Santana greets.

"Hello Satan." Kurt responds. "You did awesome up there."

"Obviously." She smirks. "It was about time I got a solo."

"And that dancing was incredible. Britt, Mike, Great job." They both say thank you, Brittany bouncing around Arties wheelchair. Kurt continues to compliment Quinn and Sam as well. "I'd really like for my team to win but I think you guys have it in the bag." He confesses.

"Not likely." Rachel mutter bitterly. "It was okay, if this was amateur hour. We're going to lose because I didn't sing the solo parts."

"I think that was the best competition performance the New Directions has ever given." Kurt rolls his eyes at her. She sneers back at him, completely offended. But most of the others chuckle and agree.

Mr. Schue, Puck, and Lauren Zizes join the group. Kurt had seen Lauren up on stage with them and was surprised. She isn't the type of person who Kurt would have thought would join the glee club. So, he questions it of them.

"Mr. Schue sent me to find a twelfth member. I tried to get the football players to join up, but they locked me in a porta-potty. She rescued me and agreed to join as your replacement if I gave her seven minutes in heaven." Puck says.

His replacement? "Oh. That's nice." He says a bit upset. She wasn't replacing him, just filling his spot. A traitorous voice in his head told him that's what replacing meant. He told that voice to shut up.

"All teams to the stage for the judge's results." A voice announced over head.

"I got to go find the Warblers. See you later. And good luck." Kurt says.

"You too!" Mercedes and Tina call to his retreating back. He turns back to give them a wave and half smile.

Soon all the teams are gathered onstage. Kurt stands next to Blaine, front and center. They clap politely as the Hipsters take their third-place trophy and leave. The pause that the announcer takes, to build the tension, just before he announces the winner, gives Kurt's racing mind time to think. He really wants to win, which means he wants the Warblers to win. But he'd also really love to see the New Directions win; and he's sure that if they don't, Glee club will be over forever at McKinley, he really doesn't want that to happen. If only there was a way that all of his friends could win. "It's a tie." The judge onstage announces. "Congratulations, you're all moving on to the regionals." Well, that was lucky.

Both teams freeze up in confusion and surprise at the announcement. Puzzled looks are exchanged between friends and silent questions of "What?", "We tied?", and "Is that even possible?". Blaine is the first to snap out of it and offers his hand to Mr. Schuster to shake as they each accept a trophy from the judges.

The teams bounce off the stage celebrating their wins and already the Warblers are planning a victory party for that night. Mercedes snatches Kurt out of the flock and pulls him aside to beg, "I wanted to say goodbye. We're gonna head out." She says.

"Oh, okay. I was kinda hoping we'd get a little more time to hang out." He says.

"I know, me too. We're having a victory party for our team and the weekends half over, otherwise I'd invite you to stay the night; but maybe another time." She says.

Nick runs up then. "Kurt, we're loading the bus. C'mon it's time to PARTY!" he cheers.

"Well, looks like I got my own party to attend. Bye Mercedes!" Kurt calls back and waves as Nick drags him down the hall by his blazer.

She waves back. "Bye Kurt. See you at Regionals."

Kurt turns from her, continuing to run with Nick until they reach the bus outside and throw themselves into the arms of their favorite boys.


	29. Christmas Cookies

_Hello! New chapter. It's beginning to be Christmas time in this story; and weirdly, I'm publishing it in the most opposite time of year than it can be, but oh well. This chapter contains cookies, ravenous teenage boys, Kurt and Niff bonding, and more pain because Kurt can't catch a break._ _Read, enjoy the cookies, and leave a review please._

 _Also, for being such devoted followers, I'll give you teaser for the next chapter. It's titled: Mistletoe, contains a bet between David and Wes, and a few Klaine moments._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee._

The Warblers return to campus late Sunday morning from Thad's house, where they'd had their crazy victory party, to find that the school has started putting up Christmas decorations. Lights hang from all the roof and trees outside and Douglas fir trees are set up in the lounges of both Dorm halls. The classroom buildings are surely also being decked out similarly.

The joy that Kurt usually feels at the sight of beautiful Christmas decorations is suppressed by the realization of this being his first Christmas alone. His mom loved the holiday season: the music, the food and, especially all the family traditions. After she had died his dad had tried to keep those traditions alive. It became a time to remember her in happiness; and for years it was one of the only times the two of them were in sync. Now, it's all over. And the fact that Christmas is coming just the same, that everyone else will not know a difference in their celebrations from those of years past, it hurts. The other boys run across the frosty ground cheerfully, excited for it all; Kurt walks slowly, thinking of his parents.

Kurt spends the next few days moping around; no one, not even Blaine, is able to cheer him up. It's like it was when he first came to Dalton: he's upset and they don't understand why, they just think it can be fixed with laughter and Christmas songs. Maybe that would work, if it was his dad's laughter and his mom singing as they wrapped presents and made cookies. If only they were here. Voices that sound like theirs in his head tell him that if they were here, they would tell him to stop moping; that he can still laugh and sing and wrap presents and make cookies. That is what they would want him to do. And it may well cheer him up a bit too.

Immaculate, untouched and a little dusty is the state Kurt finds the kitchen in when he enters with his pile of ingredients. Do none of the boys here ever use it? He flips the lights on. Top of the line appliances sit atop the counters, and only the coffee machine and microwave seemed to have ever been used.

Kurt spreads his ingredients out across the counter. He's making simple Chocolate Chippers, his mom's favorite recipe. They are the absolute best cookies in the world. Bar none. And no one would ever be able to convince him otherwise.

It's emotionally liberating for him to just pour and mix the ingredients he's been working with for years. And in seemingly no time at all he's putting the first batch in the oven. He fills the second pan and waits for the first to finish baking. The soft sugary smell of the cooking dough seeping through the kitchen soothes the ever-present ache in his chest.

The scent escapes into the lounge and brings curious noses to investigate. One of the Warblers Kurt doesn't know well, Ethan, asks, "What are you cooking? Because it smells divine."

The younger boy walks over to where Kurt is sitting on the counter top. He tries to dip a finger into the bowl of dough and gets it smacked away by Kurt. "Don't." Kurt admonishes.

Ethan pouts. "Can I have one of the cookies when they're done?"

Kurt considers him. "Sure." He can't eat them all alone, and his mother always loved to share her treats with friends, this will be a good way to honor her. A handful of more boys enter and ask for cookies. Kurt pulls the first pan out and replaces it with the second and the boys are on him immediately. "Woah! Woah! Stop. The pan is hot, back off before someone gets burned. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before you touch any of them." he instructs.

They hover obsessively over the cookies and wait for him to say go ahead. He waits for five minutes before he scoops the cookies off of the hot pan and onto a paper plate. They boys all stare at him expectantly. Has the crowd grown since the last time he looked at it? He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, secretly overjoyed to have them wanting his cookies so bad. "Go ahead." He scoops the remainder of the dough into five more cookies on the hot pan. Moans and gasps and squeals uncharacteristic of an all-boys school fill the room. Kurt looks up to see that all of the first twelve cookies have completely been devoured by the boys. The crowd is definitely bigger than it was 30 seconds ago.

A cacophony of voices bombards Kurt's ears. "This is SO GOOD!"

"Best Cookie ever!"

"Another!"

"Hey! I didn't get one!"

"I want one!"

"Where are the cookies?"

"Kurt, do you have more?" The boys press in on him, begging. Kurt's met maybe four of them. The rest are complete strangers crowding him and demanding he give them treats. He may confess to being a little freaked out by it.

"Kurt? Kurt? Move it people!" Nick pushes through the crowd, with his ever-present blonde attachment in tow. "What's this I hear about you making cookies?" He asks.

"I made cookies." Kurt responds, trying to keep the sugar-crazed boys off his nice clothes.

"I heard. And apparently, they are delicious. So, as your roommate I demand to try one. Where are they?"

"Gone. I made them and they disappeared into the ravenous gullets of all these people. I've got more in the oven. Just give me a few minutes."

Nick turns to the fanatic crowd. "Alright boys back up! If you've had a cookie take your leave! Let the chef work!" He yells.

Unsurprisingly, no one listens to him. They continue demanding cookies and pushing against each other.

If Kurt was able to, he would run away now, forget the cookies and all his precious cooking supplies. Sharing cookies is supposed to be happy and soothing. This is quite scary.

The oven goes off. There are half a dozen boys in the way of Kurt getting into it properly. Still he forces the door open and reaches in for the second pan. He hasn't even got the pan out of the oven before the boys nearest him are cheering loudly "MORE COOKIES!" and everyone farther away shoves forward demanding "WHERE?". The shoving ripples through the crowd to where Kurt is crouched. He loses his balance and falls forward. His right hand and parts of his arm hit the 375-degree oven rack. He jerks back, but only achieves shifting where his arm is touching it as there are still numerous boys pressing in.

He can't help the screams that come from his throat. He fights to get away and finds he is able to this time. Nick and Jeff are yelling at everyone and the others are backing off at the sounds of Kurt's cries. He collapses to the ground, dropping the pan on the floor beside him and cradling his burning arm. "Damn! Damn!" and more colorful words slip from his tongue.

Through his haze of pain, rolling on the floor, he hears his roommate forcing almost everyone out of the kitchen and denying them cookies. Jeff is on his knees hovering over Kurt. Kurt has not yet stopped cursing the burning pain in his arm. The oven mitt protected his hand but beyond it blistered red lines run up his forearm. His fingers are convulsing in the mitt from the nerve messages they are receiving. Nick drops to Kurt's side after slamming the door shut behind Ethan and the other boys who'd attacked Kurt's cookies and barricading it with a kitchen stool. With him he brings a cool wet wash cloth and wraps it around Kurt's arm.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" He asks.

"NO!" Kurt yells. "I've got second degree burns, dammit!"

Nick doesn't get offended. "Right. Okay. We'll get you to the nurse. Just a minute. Jeff, turn off the oven." He instructs.

Jeff and Nick make quick work of picking up the mess and putting it all on the counter to deal with later and they leave a note that says 'DO NOT TOUCH' on it. They help Kurt escape the group of guilty looking boys in the lounge and get to the nurse's office across the campus.

Once there the nurse takes Kurt quickly into the room to examine his wounds. Kurt grimaces at the disgusting look of his arm. There are blisters and holes in his skin that are bright red. The nurse has him hold his arm under a cool stream of water in the sink for about fifteen minutes while she gathers ointments and bandages. She then applies the antibiotic ointment and aloe; she also wraps his arm in gauze and an ace bandage. She gives him some ibuprofen with instructions to come back if it hurts too much.

Nick and Jeff meet him outside the nurse's office; having waited for him while he was getting treated. "Are you okay?" Nick asks.

Kurt nods. "It's not too bad. She says it should heal in the few weeks. I have to reapply the aloe every day and keep it wrapped to prevent infection; but, it's not as bad as it feels. So…" he shrugs nonchalantly.

Nick nods in acceptance. "That's good…Um…do you want us to go clean up your cookies and stuff?"

"Oh! No thanks. I can do it. Besides, I need to finish baking that last pan." Kurt says.

"We can join you!" Jeff suggests. "To keep others from crowding you again." He explains quickly at both Nick and Kurt's bemused looks. Then he tacks on honestly. "And to try your 'magical' cookies."

Kurt chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Of course, you can have some. Sharing them with friends is part of the tradition. Just, only a few people this time. And preferably those I know well."

They head back to the kitchen. Luckily, the lounge has cleared out; the few other boys don't follow the three Warblers into the kitchen. Kurt sorts through his utensils and the leftover cookies and dough on the counter. Nearly all those cookies from the second pan have to be thrown away as they fell on the floor; the five balls of dough he'd put on the first pan are fine though, he can put them into the oven as soon as it is preheated. Nick and Jeff help Kurt clean up the mess and then watch in earnest as he whips up another batch of dough.

Jeff is sitting on the counter, with Nick standing between his legs, tossing chocolate chips into the air and catching them in his mouth. "So, why is this a tradition for you?" He asks. "I mean, my grandma, and sometimes my mom, make cookies at Christmas but…" He trails off, shrugging.

"It was my mom's thing. And when I was old enough, I helped her. Then, after she died, I've kept doing it by myself. My dad and I tried to keep up all our traditions." Kurt says, looking down.

"Oh, right." Jeff mutters sadly.

Nick moves from his boyfriend over to his roommate. He lays one hand on Kurt's shoulder and asks gently, "Is this your first Christmas since he…" Kurt nods and blinks back tears. "That's why you've been so sad this week." Kurt nods again and this time has to wipe a loose tear from his cheek. Nick wraps Kurt in a hug, letting the older boy sodden his shoulder in more rogue tears.

Jeff hops off the counter and joins their hug, wrapping his arms around Kurt from behind and murmuring to him, "You don't have to be alone for Christmas. You can come to my house again; my family would love it."

Kurt pulls out of the hug to turn towards Jeff. "Thanks Jeff, but I'm going to spend Christmas with Carole and Finn at their house, I think." He smiles warmly.

Jeff smiles back and hugs him "That's good. But, just know, that if it falls through, you are always welcome at my place."

"Thanks."

Nick has pulled his phone out and is texting someone eagerly. The phone dings with a returning text and Nick smiles victoriously. "And I think I can help you feel better right now. Sharing the cookies with friends is part of the tradition, right?" He asks rhetorically. "Well, I know the crazy storm of people earlier was too much; but, the three of us is hardly a party. So, I texted Blaine and Wevid to see if they wanted to come down and join us. Just a few more of our closest friends."

Wes and David show up first, just as the last pan of the first batch of cookies is coming out. They bounce over the sweets waiting for permission to gobble them up. Blaine comes in shortly after. "We heard there are cookies down here."

Kurt decides to wait for the next batch of cookies to come out so that the other boys can try the five that are ready. However, Blaine refuses to accept that; he splits his cookie in half and shares it with Kurt. "You two are so freaking adorable, it isn't fair." David says. "Why can't Angela and I look that cute?"

Wes' face scrunches up covetously; but, he's not jealous, at all. Right. Kurt's not judging.

One batch at a time the cookies are eaten by the group of teenage boys until there are none left. The compliments and praises they shower on him make him feel warm and fuzzy the way the holidays are supposed to.


	30. Mistletoe

_Chapter 30! Holy cow! As promised this chapter is full of mistletoe, bets and Klaine. I suppose I should warn that this chapter also contains extreme amounts of boys kissing; if you don't like it then how did you make it this far into the story? Seriously, Niff have been making out since chapter six. Anyway I hope you all like it. Please leave a review._

 _Disclaimer: As expected I have still not acquired the ownership of Glee._

The week after the cookie incident Kurt is introduced to the next level of Dalton insanity. Monday morning he is walking down to breakfast with Nick when thy came across Thad and Richard kissing under some mistletoe. Nick starts laughing and cheering. "YES! YES! Mistletoe! Where's Jeff!?"

Kurt is shocked; doesn't Thad have a girlfriend? "What the-!" The kiss is quick and they look up startled at Kurt's outburst. "What are you doing?"

"There's mistletoe. It tradition." Thad says in way of explanation.

"B-but you're both straight." Kurt argues.

"So?" Richard asks. "Doesn't mean we can't kiss guys. It's just for fun. Everyone does it."

Truly they do. There is mistletoe hanging up all over the school and every time two boys end up under some of it, no matter who they were, they share a short kiss. The kiss is longer if a couple gets caught under it. The moment Nick finds Jeff, for example, they rush to each other and under a sprig of mistletoe to kiss each other excitedly. Kurt himself dodges all the mistletoe and refuses to let anyone pull him under some; he is surprised that there are a few that try to do so.

He meets up with Blaine, who is also carefully skirting the mistletoe, and together they go into breakfast. "So why is this a thing." He asks of Blaine.

Blaine shrugs. "Not sure. But it's been going on for years."

"It's weird. Why would anyone want to go around kissing every other boy in school?" Kurt shakes his head.

"You don't have to participate. And those who do usually just stick to kissing their friends. If you don't want to be kissed just avoid the mistletoe and those who make a competition out of it; namely Wes and David." Blaine suggests.

"Competition?"

"They both kiss as many people as they can. He who has the most by Christmas break wins."

Avoiding them is easier said than done; they seem to be everywhere. And it doesn't take long before one of them is trying to pull Kurt under some mistletoe. Startled, he wrenches himself free from Wes' grip and yelps a "No!"

"Woah, Kurt! It's me." Wes says. "I just need to kiss you under the mistletoe so I can win the bet. See, every year David…"

"No. I know about your competition and you will not be getting any help from me." Kurt interrupts.

"What? Why? Are you helping David? Did he already kiss you?" Wes interrogates.

"No. No. No one is kissing me; especially not for a silly competition. That is not how I want to have my first kiss." Kurt says, keeping distance between him and his crazy Asian friend.

"You've never been kissed?"

"Not that counts. Not by a boy."

Wes looks surprised and baffled. "You and Blaine haven't…? But, haven't you been dating for like a month?"

"Um…" honestly, Kurt isn't sure. They go out to coffee and Carson's and hang out all the time but neither of them had ever labeled what they were doing.

"You guys are dating, right?" Wes demands in alarm.

"Um… We go out; but, we've never talked about it." Kurt blushes.

"Oh no! This can't be." Wes says. At first, he looks upset then it turns to determination. "This just won't do. Don't worry Kurt. I'll get Blaine to kiss you by the end of the week."

"What?"

"Yes! I swear it on my gavel." Wes takes off down the hall.

What? Why would he do that? What would he get out of it? "You know this isn't going to get me to kiss you for your bet." Kurt yells after him.

"Who cares? Klaine is more important that winning the bet." Wes calls back before disappearing around a corner.

"Klaine? What is Klaine?"

For the next couple days, Wes lurks around. He makes suggestive comments at every opportunity, encourages Kurt and Blaine to be together at every opportunity, and even tries to force the two under some mistletoe together. As time continues on more of their friends get in on it too. Blaine seems peacefully oblivious to their actions; but, Kurt has to keep dodging them, looking for new hiding spots.

Finally, Kurt finds a room that is free of mistletoe and people. He takes a seat at a table and gets out his text books. For the next hour or so he sits in silence studying his European History book.

Out of the blue, something thumps on a table nearby. Kurt looks up startled to see Blaine and a boombox. "Hey." He says.

"You scared me." Kurt says lightly.

"Well, good. Because I'm actually Marley's ghost and I'm here to tell you to stop studying so hard." Blaine whispers and takes a seat across from Kurt. "So, this is where you've chosen to hide from the kissing terrors that are Wevid?"

Kurt shrugs. "Well, there is no mistletoe in here."

Blaine does a quick scan around and nods. "Fair enough."

They sit comfortably looking at each other, no words needed. Until Kurt remembers the original thud that had broken his concentration. "So, what's with the boombox?"

"I need you to sing with me. I got a gig singing 'Baby it's Cold Outside' in the 'King's Island: Christmas Spectacular'."

"Aah, a personal favorite." Kurt comments. "Too bad they'd never let us sing it together."

"Yea, our voices would be great together. We would kill that song." Blaine agrees before Kurt has the chance to feel embarrassed about his words. "But, I do need help rehearsing; if you want to."

"Of course. Anything to get me to stop reading about Charlemagne."

"Very good then." Blaine says and closes his textbook.

He dances over to the boombox and presses play.

"I really can't stay (but baby, it's cold outside)

I've got to go away (but baby, it's cold outside)

This evening has been (been hoping that you'd drop in)

So very nice (I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice)

My mother will start to worry (beautiful what's your hurry?)

My father will be pacing the floor (listen to the fireplace roar)

So, really, I'd better scurry (beautiful please don't hurry)

But maybe just a half a drink more (put some records on while I pour)

The neighbors might think (baby, it's bad out there)

Say what's in this drink? (no cabs to be had out there)

I wish I knew how (your eyes are like starlight now)

To break this spell (i'll take your hat, your hair looks swell)

I ought to say, no, no, no sir (mind if I move in closer?)

At least I'm gonna say that I tried (what's the sense in hurtin' my pride?)

I really can't stay (oh baby don't hold out)

But baby, it's cold outside

I simply must go (but baby, it's cold outside)

The answer is no (but baby, it's cold outside)

Your welcome has been (how lucky that you dropped in)

So nice and warm (look out the window at that storm)

My sister will be suspicious (gosh your lips look delicious)

My brother will be there at the door (waves upon the tropical shore)

My maiden aunts mind is vicious (ooh your lips are delicious)

But maybe just a cigarette more (never such a blizzard before)

I've gotta get home (but baby, you'd freeze out there)

Say lend me a coat (it's up to your knees out there)

You've really been grand (I thrill when you touch my hand)

But don't you see? (how can you do this thing to me?)

There's bound to be talk tomorrow (think of my lifelong sorrow)

At least there will be plenty implied (if you got pnuemonia and died)

I really can't stay (get over that hold out)

Oh, but it's cold outside!"

They collapse onto one of the couches, and nearly on top of one another, singing out the last notes. They find themselves staring at each other with faster than normal breath and slightly flushed cheeks. For a few moments they are lost in silence and each other. "I think you're ready." Kurt breathes softly.

Blaine smiles. "Well, I have the best practice partner. You sung that better than any girl could."

Kurt blushes. That comfortable silence envelopes them again. Kurt thinks they may be leaning closer ever so slowly. Sure enough, their foreheads collide soon thereafter. They lean into each other, breaths mingling and eyes locked. Kurt feels warm and bubbly, thinking perhaps he is going to get kissed by Blaine.

The doors open. Both the boys jump back and look up to see who's intruding on them. the familiar kind-faced, curly-haired teacher is a pleasant surprise to Kurt. "Mr. Schuester." He greets standing up. Blaine follows.

"Good to see you, Kurt." The teacher says, hugging him then offering his hand to Blaine. "And…?"

"This is Blaine. Blaine this is Mr. Schue." Kurt introduces.

"Your old Glee club's director. It's nice to meet you sir." Blaine accepts Mr. Schue's handshake. "I'll let you two catch up. See you later Kurt." He walks out the door.

Kurt watches him for a moment. Schue following his gaze. "So, Kurt, are you and him…?"

"We're… something." Kurt says unsure. "I'm in love with him and I think he likes me. It's… something." He shrugs.

"Well, good for you. How are you doing?" Mr. Schue inquires kindly.

"I'm okay, all things considered. It's good here. I have friends and there's no bullies. But I miss you guys a lot. I miss home and-" Kurt fades off, not needing to say it.

"Yeah. I know." Mr. Schue says compassionately.

"So, what brings you here?" Kurt changes the subject and attempts to joke. "Are you looking for teaching at a place where pencils aren't primarily used as weapons?"

Mr. Schue gives him a somewhat piteous half smile. "I need some holiday help. This year, I drew Sue in the office pool secret Santa. And I'm really bad at Christmas shopping for people I like; so, for her I can't think of anything good. And you are so good at shopping I thought I'd come ask you for some assistance."

Kurt ponders the words as the teacher speaks them. What does Sue like; besides terrorizing people and winning cheer competitions? Track suits! Kurt does love clothes, he should be able to find something in a snap; and track suits aren't really made for the subzero of December, that's something he can work with. A track suit for the winter months. "I think I have the perfect idea."

It takes him no time at all to help Mr. Schue find a fur lined track suit online. They have it in stock at the local mall, so Mr. Schue can just go pick it up on his way home and give it to her tomorrow. He gives Kurt a thousand thanks as the student walks his former teacher out to the front parking lot.

Blaine doesn't ever bring up that moment they had for the rest of the week, so Kurt doesn't mention it either. Wes keeps on them, getting less and less subtle about his intent to make the boys kiss. Nothing ever comes of it though; which Kurt is grateful for. He doesn't want his first kiss to be forced. He want's it to be romantic and in the moment, like how it had maybe almost been that night. The weekend passes with nothing more happening on any of these fronts.

Monday and Tuesday of the following week are technically school days. However, the teachers think they are as pointless as the students do; so, most of the classes are Christmas parties and/or cancelled entirely.

No one is supposed to stay at the school for the two-and-a-half-week break; by Wednesday night everyone is supposed to be off school property. So, Kurt spends his days packing up to go to the Hudson's. Blaine helps him and he does the same for Blaine as their other friends lollygag about the halls. The gay couples spending good chunks of their time making out under the mistletoe. Wes and David each camping out under their own sprig, gathering as many kisses as they can before time is up.

Wednesday night comes slower than it seems it should. The anticipation palpable as minutes drag on. Having his own car, Kurt could go whenever he wants. But, Blaine's parents aren't coming until late that night, he'll be one of the last students on campus, so Kurt chooses to keep him company. One by one the other Warblers depart from the rehearsal hall where they've all gathered, until it's almost ten pm and they're the only two left.

They spend the remaining time talking and laughing together about anything and everything: "Your brother's coming for Christmas? Will I get to meet him?", "David won the bet", "Katy Perry is better than Lady Gaga", etc.

Blaine's phone chimes half an hour later. "That's my parents. They're almost here. I've got to get out to the front of the school."

Together they stand and gather up their luggage. They have to say goodbye to each other now, as Kurt's car is in the student lot by the dorms in the back of the school and Blaine has to go the opposite direction. They stand in the doorway both reluctant to leave the other. "We'll see each other on New Year's Eve. You are coming to the party, right?" Blaine asks.

"Yeah. Just a little over a week." Kurt tries to reassure Blaine and himself.

"That feels like a really long time. I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too." They both rush at each other in a tight, lasting hug.

"oh gosh! Wes!" Blaine curses in a whisper from Kurt's shoulder a few moments into the hug.

Kurt pulls back. "What?" His gaze flicks up towards where Blaine's eyes had been staring a mere second before. There, hanging from the doorframe above them, is a sprig of mistletoe. "Oh!"

They are both blushing hard when their eyes meet again. "That wasn't there before." Kurt says.

"No. I think Wes put it there." Blaine returns. "I'm sure you've noticed him being weird, well weirder, this week. It's because he's been trying to get me to kiss you."

"I know." Kurt says. "to me too."

"I told him to stop. That this couldn't happen right now; that I couldn't do that to you. But, I guess he didn't listen." Blaine says.

"Do what to me? What couldn't happen?" Kurt asks.

Blaine looks suddenly nervous. "It's nothing. Just forget I said that."

"Blaine?" Kurt's mostly confused but there's a little hopeful ember in him.

The look of nervousness on Blaine's face stays while the resolve dissolves. "Wes knows about my feelings for you and wants me to do something about it. But, with everything you're going through I can't."

"Your feelings for me?" Kurt mumbles slowly. That can't mean what it sounds like; Kurt's not that lucky, especially with boys.

Blaine sighs anxiously. "I care a lot about you. I like you, Kurt. But, it's not a good time for you to try dating. I can't ask you out or kiss you if you're not ready for something like that. It wouldn't be right for me to add a new romantic relationship to everything that you're already dealing with."

Kurt is happily stunned by the confession. Stuck in a stupor he stares at his nervous crusher, who he happens to have a crush on as well. The rest of Blaine's words take a minute to sink in. "You're right." Kurt says. Blaine's face falls just a little. "I said the same thing to my girl friends when they found out that I like you."

Blaine sighs in clear relief at not being rejected. "Good. So, we're on the same page."

Kurt nods hesitantly. "Yeah." Blaine smiles; Kurt cuts him off before he can say anything else. "But, we're still under the mistletoe; and if Wes and David can kiss every boy in school without it counting, then why can't we. It's just a silly tradition. For fun."

Blaine's expression is hard to define; it's shock and surprise and some kind of pure joy Kurt's never seen directed at him. He's about to say something else when his mouth is suddenly preoccupied by those ever-soft lips.

Having those lips kiss his own is different from having them kiss his forehead or cheek. It ignites that feeling of pure love in him that he thought only his father could. It is not the same kind of love he had for his father at all. But it is a warmth so similar it makes his closed eyes well up.

Blaine pulls away feeling his tears. "Are you okay?" He asks, holding Kurt's face in his hands and brushing his cheek lightly with his thumb. Kurt just nods and desperately pulls him back in for another kiss.

This one is longer, yet just a perfect. There's no tongues, no teeth, no heat; they're not ready for that yet. It's warm and completing. It lifts the aches and stress from Kurt's heart and mind; a relief greater than anything he's tried. It makes him wonder why he was so against it for so long.

Kurt pulls away and looks sincerely into Blaine's sweet honeys as he says. "I am ready. I am ready for this."

"Kurt. No. We just talked about this. It's was just the mistletoe. We can't do this while you are going through so much." Blaine argues breathless.

"But, kissing you made it all go away. It's all so far away. Please. I want this. I'm ready." Kurt begs.

Blaine looks very reluctant as he says. "But its not far away. It's still happening."

"But you made it feel far away; made me feel better." Kurt pouts at him. "Please!"

Blaine shuts his eyes and looks away. "Kurt" he says piteously. "I want to. Bu-" his phone's tone cuts him off. He opens his eyes to glance down at it. "That'll be my parents. I have to go." He looks back at Kurt, who's still begging him with his eyes. Blaine withers. "Let's think about it. Take the break and think about it. We'll talk when we get back. Okay?"

Kurt scrunches his nose is disappointment. He knows, though, that this is the best offer he'll get from Blaine tonight. "Okay. New Year's, we'll talk."

Blaine nods with a sad smile. "I'll see you then."

Before he can turn around and leave Kurt pulls him into one more meaningful kiss. "Please don't over think it. I want it." He gives as a final argument.

Then Blaine walks off down the hall and he goes the opposite way. Both turning back to watch the other until corners make it impossible.


	31. Home for Christmas

_Hi guys! This is the last Christmas chapter. Kurt's celebrating with the Hudson's. The holiday is a mix of emotions as it would obviously be for him after all he's been through in the past few months. Next we're onto New Year's and new drama. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and would love to hear some of your opinions on the story. Please leave a review._

 _Also I'm going on a trip and will not be able to update next Wednesday. So, sorry. I'll try to get it up on Thursday instead._

 _Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own anything but the plot._

Kurt wakes up on the 23rd of December much earlier than he would have liked. Finn is mucking about the kitchen trying to get some breakfast at about 8. Normally Kurt would have been up by then and it would be okay. But after the kisses he'd shared with Blaine last night he was unable to safely drive his car for a little while due to his high emotions. So, he'd ended up at the Hudsons' house even later than planned, almost 1am; and had not gotten to sleep for another while after that due to the glorious memories playing in his head.

Now, he grumbling walks into the kitchen to glare daggers at his lumbering almost-brother. "Oh! Hey Kurt! When did you get here?" Finn greets loudly.

Kurt groans. "I need coffee." He makes his way to the machine on their counter, the one he'd given them when they'd cleaned out his house, and pours himself a cup.

Finn is rambling about something or other with his mouth full of cereal. Kurt isn't really trying to listen, the coffee not having taken effect yet. As he slowly wakes he catches a little of what Finn is trying to say. "Wait, wait. You broke up with Rachel? I thought guys were doing great. I mean, I don't like her; but I thought you did." He says.

"I loved her. But she found out I had sex with Santana and got mad. She cheated on me with Puck." Finn cries. Kurt wants to say something comforting but none of what Finn told him surprises him. Rachel being a selfish, jealous jerk? Totally expected. "Why do all my girlfriends cheat on me with Puck? He's supposed to be my best friend." Finn goes on.

"Because girls are petty, vengeful beings. I've told you before they aren't worth your time." Kurt says.

"I like girls! I thought you were done trying to turn me gay." Finn bursts.

"Don't worry, I'm way over you." Kurt says; a dazed smile growing on his face as the memories of last night fill his head again. "I've got a much cuter, very gay, boy now."

Carole walks in on them then. "Boy? What boy?" she asks as Finn demands, "Hey! I am cute!"

Kurt blushes, "Um…"

"Do you have a boyfriend you haven't told me about?" Carole asks.

He shrugs bashfully. "Not technically. Yet."

"Is it the Warbler guy the girls said you like?" Finn asks.

"Oh? One of the boys on your team?" Carole asks. "Tell me all about him."

Kurt ducks his head and starts speaking. "His name's Blaine. I've told you a bit about him, he's my best friend. He's the lead singer of the Warblers. I've liked him for a while and last night…" with much blushing and giggling he tells them about the mistletoe kiss.

Carole coos and squeals in happiness for him. Finn looks confused and a little grossed out. Kurt makes them drop the topic after that.

They spend the day finishing their last-minute shopping for gifts. Kurt and Carole enjoy the mall trip, and Finn complains about having to carry their bags. Kurt finds a perfect purple scarf and matching hat for Mercedes, a gorgeous new top for Carole, and a nice jacket for Finn that is casual enough for the tall teen while still being nicer than all his other clothes. A baby step into making Finn less of a walking fashion disaster. He struggles to find something suitable to give to Blaine. There are a few things that are good but none that are perfect. He searches high and low for hours, wearing Finn out completely until Carole has to take him back to the car. Finally, he finds something amazing enough for his soon to be boyfriend. After their shopping trip the little family goes back to the house to wrap up their gifts.

The evening contains a delicious dinner and Christmas movie marathon. Kurt leans against Carole thinking about the past years and how everything is different now. Shopping and wrapping was fun and normal to his family's traditions. But, come tomorrow, nothing would be the same. He's got a place to be and people who love him, he should be grateful. He's not though. He's off kilter, everything is just wrong enough that it makes him feel queasy. He doesn't say anything about it, just thinks himself to sleep against Carole.

The next day doesn't make him feel better. Making and eating treats, some of his friends from the New Directions coming over, not even visiting his grandpa. And then that evening Finn and the other guys from New Directions that had been over for the past few hours leave. They're going over to Mr. Schue's house so that he isn't alone on Christmas Eve; and Kurt is not invited. They don't put it so rudely. Finn tells him that it's a Glee club thing and since he's not part of the glee club anymore, he gets left alone at the house.

Carole had to go into work at the hospital for a few hours that afternoon. She comes home that evening to Kurt laying miserably on the couch. He's doing his best not to cry. "Kurt? Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asks as she comes to kneel beside him.

He looks up at her pleading. "You do want me to be here, don't you?" He whimpers.

"What? Of course, I do baby." She says. "What brought this on? Why would you think I don't want you?"

"Nobody else does." He sobs.

"That's not true Kurt. You have lots of people who love you. You know that." She says rubbing her hands up his back and in his hair.

He shakes his head and mutter brokenly. "No, they don't."

She pulls his head out of the couch cushion to look at her. "Yes, they do. Finn, Mercedes and the other glee club kids. Your friends at Dalton. Blaine."

Kurt shakes his head and tears break free from his eyes. "The glee club don't want me anymore. They're having a party tonight and Finn told me I couldn't go. Mercedes didn't want me to hang out after sectionals. She hasn't asked me over since. Blaine doesn't want me as his boyfriend."

"He kissed you. He told you that he likes you." She argues.

"He said no. Said it wasn't a good time. He told me to wait for answer until New Years because he wants to figure out how to say no without hurting me." Kurt says through snot and tears. "Nobody wants me. Laurette was right." He cries, growing less understandable by the second even to himself.

"Right about what? What did she tell you?" Carole asks alarmed. Kurt cries harder. "Sweetie? Kurt baby?"

"She was right. No one loves me." He gets out, not sure Carole can actually understand it.

She must though; she pulls him off the couch and into her arms. Her look is angry but not directed at him. To him she looks sternly and says, "Kurt. Get that out of your head, right now. She is an evil woman and nothing she tells you is true. You are loved, so much. I love you like you're my own son. Finn loves you; he's just a big, slow doofus. Mercedes loves you, she misses you and does want you around. And I may not know Blaine, but from what you've told me about him, he wouldn't kiss you and tell you he likes you if he didn't."

She pulls him in and he sobs into her arms. It's the saddest Christmas Eve he's ever known. Beating out even that first one after his Mom died. This time his dad wont pack them in the car at the last moment to get a tree and save the holiday. He'll wake up on an old couch not his warm bed to a breakfast and traditions that are not his own. Not even fully convinced that the people he's with actually want him to be there.

That's exactly how the morning comes. Carole is making bacon, eggs and pancakes. Finn is already poking around under the tree, too impatient to wait. "You can't wait 'till after we eat?" Kurt speaks to him.

Finn turns around looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Uh… Hi. Don't tell my mom." He says. Kurt rolls his eyes. "Hey, Kurt. I wanted to talk to you about last night. I'm sorry I didn't invite you to come to Mr. Schue's with us. It was rude and my mom said it made you upset."

Great, Carole told him about Kurt's worries. It doesn't make it better. Just because she forces Finn to tell him that he cares doesn't make it true. He's just trying to stay out of trouble with his mom. He doesn't mean it.

The little family has a breakfast together before they open their presents. Finn scarfs his portion down so quickly he nearly chokes. Then he spends the next few minutes in which Kurt and Carole are finishing to complain about how slow they are. He really wants his presents. The second Kurt and Carole are finished Finn is rushing to the living room yelling at the to "hurry up!"

Carole makes him sit back and she takes the spot next to the tree. Kurt curls up on the couch. First, they unpack their stockings, full of treats and knickknacks. Kurt gets a few small bottles of new moisturizers and hair products. After their stockings are all empty Carole starts pulling the presents out from under the tree. Finn get's one first to sedate his enthusiasm. Then she hands one to Kurt. Inside is a pair of black jeans with safety pins lining the entire length of the sides of the legs.

His next present is a pair of Versace black medusa loafers. Kurt takes them out to study them; some of the thread is loose on one of the seam, which is probably how Carole afforded them, but it's an easy fix. They'll be acceptable for Dalton's uniform without being exactly the same as everyone else's.

From Finn he gets the 'Michael' album; the first album of previously unreleased songs from Michael Jackson since his death. In return Carole loves the top he got her and Finn tries to be happy about the nice jacket, he even wears it for the rest of the day to show his appreciation.

It doesn't take long for them to clear out all their presents from each other from under the tree as there is only the three of them. Many more gifts remain wrapped; those are for their friends and other relatives. They will be delivered over the next couple days.

Today they are going to pick up Kurt's grandpa and Carole's parents. They get his grandpa first as her parent's flight won't be in until lunchtime.

The four of them take a trip to the cemetery. Carole and Finn visit Christopher's, Finn's dad, grave. And his grandpa goes to his wife's, giving Kurt some time alone with his parents. He brought poinsettias and cookies to put at their grave. He arranges them deliberately, mostly to distract himself from why he has to bring them here. He takes off his gloves and places his hands on the headstone next to each of his parents' names. Without any barrier between him and the freezing stone that is the closest he has to touching his parents, Kurt breaks down.

In the bitter cold of the late December day his tears freeze right on his face and make him go numb. He crumples into the snow and the numbness spreads. Finn has to pick up his shivering body when their time is up and take him to the car.

After picking Carole's parents up from the airport the six of them head back to the Hudson's house. They make a huge dinner of ham and veggies and fresh-baked bread. The two teenage boys get spoiled with gifts by each of their respective grandparents. Hubert gives Kurt an old top hat of his that is still in good condition, knee-high lace up leather gothic boots, and an old locket. "This was your grandma's. She kept a picture of the two of us in there. I want you to put your own picture of your future husband in there when you find him." Kurt blushes and laughs, overjoyed to have been entrusted with something so special.

He pulls his grandpa into a hug and then gives him his own gift. It's a warm, and obviously fashionable, sweater and scarf. This night is far less emotional than the previous.

The day after Christmas remains a part of the holiday celebration. Finn and Kurt, who's actually invited this time, go to Brittany's house to hang out and exchange presents with the New Directions. All 13 of them gather in the Peirce's living room, Brittany's parents are upstairs.

Kurt enters nervously, not sure he's really welcome. After all, most of them hardly talk to him anymore; those who do haven't given him any indication that they want him around. The ever-loving Brittany clearly is happy he's here as she jumps at him with hugs and kisses to his cheeks. Mercedes, blessedly, is right behind her. The others follow with greetings; the girls with hugs and the boys with high-fives.

Mercedes pulls him to sit by her on the couch. "I've missed you so much White Boy. And I cannot wait for you to see what I bought you." She pulls out a package and places it in his lap. In return he searches through his bag for her gift and hands it to her. "Oh my gosh! this is so cute!" she exclaims upon opening the bag.

He smiles at her and tears the paper off his own box. Inside are black leather ankle boots with a distinctive 'G' buckle. "Oh, Sweet Gucci!" he cheers. "How did you afford these?"

"I saved up for months, thinking with all the time we don't get to spend with each other anymore I should make up for it with an awesome Christmas present." She says.

He hugs her gleefully. Tina leaves Mike's lap to trade gifts with Kurt next. Then Brittany and Santana give him their presents. They got him accessories and shirts. He turns down Rachel's present of her singing a song for him.

Brittany's mom brings them some snacks later in the day. They eat and talk and occasionally break out into songs and/or dances. Kurt is never left out and he starts to feel better.


	32. Midnight Memories (or lack thereof)

_He_ y _guys! I'm back, turns out I didn't get to go on that trip. But it means I get to update today. It's New Year's and the Warbler's are having a party. So enjoy the antics of a bunch of drunken prep-school boys. Which include dancing on furniture, cuddling, stripping, and heavy make out sessions. On a related note I want to know what y'all think of Wevid in this story; I'm not sure how I want them to end up. I would appreciate your opinions._

 _Thanks to all of you who leave reviews. I hit 100 with the last chapter and it made me feel great. I love hearing from you. Please leave more reviews. Enjoy the chapter._

 _Disclaimer: Fox owns Glee, not me._

After a week back in Lima Kurt feels healed; while he is still a bit insecure and certainly not happy with being so far away from his old friends all the time, he is reasonably convinced that they do care about him. Now he just needs Blaine to prove that he likes him the way he says he does.

He'll have that opportunity tonight at the Warbler's New Years party. Kurt is currently driving his car down Highway 33 to Thad's house for the party. Well his mansion. Thad's mansion is easily the biggest house Kurt has ever seen. Most of the Warblers and a handful of their girlfriends are already gathered in the enormous living room on the main floor; because, yes, apparently there are more on the other floors. Kurt stands in the doorway looking around for his friends amidst the chaotic dancing and drinking going on in the Music blasted room.

He spots Blaine and runs to him, accidently knocking him over in his exuberant desire to hug him. Blaine hugs him fiercely in return. "I missed you!" the short boy says right into Kurt's ear.

Kurt presses a kiss to his cheek. "Me too."

They help each other stand up.

Blaine drags Kurt over to the refreshment table and offers him a beer. Kurt refuses, "Alcohol and I don't mix." He's not ever planning on drinking alcohol again after the Ms. Pillsbury/Bambi disaster. He'll stick to soda, thank you. Blaine shrugs and sips from the bottle himself.

Kurt allows himself to be pulled through the chaos to see what everyone's up to. Only one other boy, Ethan, is also abstaining; everyone else is drinking, to some degree or another. David and Wes are doing shots together. The seniors have set up a game of beer pong in one corner. Jeff is dancing around downing one drink after another. The drunker Jeff gets the more clothes he starts to remove, from himself and others. Nick is chasing him around, trying to keep him from stripping entirely. Thad is also chasing them, screaming at them "No sex in my house!" Trent is chugging a big bottle of something with a group of boys cheering and chanting around him; a group Blaine is swift to join. Kurt rolls his eyes and laughs at the boys acting like fools.

Blaine grabs another bottle, it's at least his third or fourth beer since Kurt got there. He's plenty more than buzzed and pulls Kurt out to the dance floor with him. Blaine gets drunker and drunker as he keeps guzzling more beers during the bouncing pop songs. Kurt has to keep him from falling over every few minutes.

Another song begins to play over the speakers, it's a little slower than the others; Blaine finally stops jumping, much to Kurt's relief. Then to his bliss Blaine winds his arms around Kurt's waist, leans into him and begins swaying to the beat. "Dance with me, Kurtie." He whispers softly right into his ear. Then he begins singing along. "…Is the place we used to love? Is this the place that we've been dreaming of? Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? ..." Kurt sighs contently as he brings his own arms around Blaine and leans into him. Together they gently sway to the music.

Blaine only gets cuddlier from there. They return to the couch and Blaine sits himself nearly in Kurt's lap, legs thrown over the sober boy's and face pressed into his neck. Hot breath washes over Kurt. He can feel those soft lips brush his skin every time the drunk boy says something. Unable, unwilling, to let the pleasure he's experiencing leave him, Kurt holds tight to Blaine.

They watch the party happen around them. Kurt blindly reaches over to the table beside them for his soda. He takes a sip and is surprised by the flavor. Looking down at it he realizes this is not his drink; but, it tastes really good, a bit like strawberries. So, he finishes it. There are a few more just like it on the table, so Kurt drinks another. Then another. Still holding Blaine as they laugh at the drunken antics of their friends.

Jeff is down to his Captain America themed boxers; fortunately, Nick managed to stop him there, at the cost of his own clothes, which Jeff is now working on getting off him. Kurt and Blaine watch in amusement as their roommates give in to their hormones and make out heatedly on the floor. Though Kurt is more than grateful that Thad dumps a cup of cold water on them before they are both completely naked and leads them to a guest room as far from the rest of the party as he can.

Wes and David are sitting in a corner sharing a bottle. Both are trying to drink from it at once and Kurt is not really surprised when it results in them kissing each other. They do this multiple times: tongues slipping into each-others' mouths, lips and teeth crashing, wine sloshing from one mouth to the other. Eventually, the bottle is dropped and the kissing grows heavier. Many of the boys whistle and hoot at them, but Wevid pay no attention to anything but each other. "Aren't they both adamantly straight?" Kurt asks Blaine.

Blaine giggles, "Only when they're sober. They make out a lot when they are drunk. But they won't remember it in the morning."

They both giggle, Kurt feels a little fuzzy, but that must just be how close Blaine is. Close enough that they could kiss. Wouldn't it be fun if they joined their friends in making out on the floor? Kurt thinks that it would. Instead Blaine pulls him back out to the dance floor. They dance so close that they are nearly grinding. Blaine keeps grabbing them both more of those delicious fruity drinks Kurt's been having. Each one makes Kurt feel weirder. His head is like a balloon. "I don't feeeellll very good Blaine." He slurs a while later.

He slumps down into Blaine's embrace. As Blaine is too drunk to keep himself upright very well, he falls to the floor bringing Kurt down with him. The fall nauseates Kurt who groans. "I don't feel good. I wanna go to bed now."

"Okay, Kurtie. You can come to bed with me. We can sleep together." Blaine says and cuddles into Kurt.

"Not right here you're not." Thad speaks above them and pulls them both up. He seems to be mostly sober too; or maybe not too, Kurt thinks he might be drunk. There must have been something in those strawberry drinks. Thad leads them to an empty bedroom down the hall. "If you need to puke the bathroom is through that door." He instructs. "Try to be quiet if you do anything, no one else wants to hear you."

Kurt crawls to the bed from where he is sitting on the floor. "Bed. It's bedtime." He clambers onto the soft mattress.

Blaine joins him. "Bedtime. Mmhmm." He pulls Kurt to him and presses kisses to his face, jaw and neck. "I like bedtime with you. You're my favorite, Kurtie; my cutie. Cutie Kurtie."

The kisses and words do more to intoxicate Kurt than the drinks had. He pulls Blaine's face up to press their noses together and stare into his eyes. "You're my Honey. So sweet, I want to eat you." Kurt licks Blaine's cheek. "You taste yummy."

"You taste good. Your neck." Blaine returns to kissing Kurt's neck. "I love your neck." He gives it all his attention for a minute.

"Mmmm" Kurt moans. "Feels good." Blaine increases the fervor of his kisses. "Wanna be your boyfriend, Honey. Is New Years, we talk now. Be boyfriends Honey. Blainey Honey, I love you. Boyfriends."

"I love you, Kurtie. Cutie Kurtie I love you. Boyfriends. " Blaine says. He repeats the words mantra-style; broken up by occasional kisses to every part of Kurt's head he can get too. Until, eventually they both pass out.

A queasy stomach awakes Kurt the next morning. He groans and opens his eyes to find himself in a room he doesn't recognize. His gut surges again and he can taste the bile coming up his throat. He scrambles off the bed and someone's warm chest. The blankets and arms that are around him trip him up and he nearly vomits on the carpet. "Wuh…" a voice slurs. Kurt, however, pays no mind as he burst through what he hopes is a bathroom door; by the greatest of luck, it is; and finally lets loose the torrent of sick in him into the toilet.

He keeps heaving beyond the point of anything actually coming out; then, he collapses to the side, exhausted and overheating. "Kurt?" Blaine's groggy voice comes from the doorway.

Kurt can only moan pitifully in response.

Blaine sinks down next to him and flushes the toilet with a sickened expression. He rubs at Kurt's back. "You okay?"

Kurt shakes his head minutely. "I feel like crap."

"You're hungover." Blaine says. "We might have had a bit too much last night."

"Hungover? What happened last night?"

"What do you remember?" Blaine asks. Kurt tries to think, he shrugs. "Nothing? Okay. Get cleaned up and meet me back on the bed. We'll work out what we can from my fuzzies."

He helps Kurt up and to the sink. Blaine returns to the bedroom and Kurt runs the cold water. He washes his face and rinses his mouth. He doesn't really want to look at his reflection, positive he must look as icky as he feels. His hair is a mess, his face oily and featuring baggy eyes. A strange dark spot on his neck, just above his collar bone, catches his eye. Oh, holy Versace! Is that a hickey? "Blaine! Blaine!" He calls in alarm.

Blaine comes running. "What? What's wrong?"

Kurt gestures to the hickey in panic. "What the hell happened last night?!"

Blaine's eyes widen comically at the sight of the mark. "I -I don't know."

"Blaine!" Kurt whines.

"Um. The party. We obviously had a lot to drink." Blaine runs his hands through his hair. "I remember Trent going crazy. And dancing."

Kurt nods. "We danced to 'Somewhere only we know'. I wasn't drunk then. I didn't plan on drinking at all. But then… Strawberries? And honey."

"Yeah, Jesse said something about trying to mix up some daquiris. I don't know anything about honey, though. Um…" Blaine shakes his head. "I remember Niff getting naked on the floor. And Wevid making out."

"Wait, what? How did I miss that?" Kurt says.

"I think you were there." Blaine says. "We laughed at them."

"I must have been drunk, everything after strawberries is just murky, except the honey."

"I think- we must've got too drunk and Thad would've brought us in here to sleep it off. Then, I guess- I think we made out." Blaine says awkwardly.

Kurt nods. "Yeah. I'd say so."

They both blush. "Listen Kurt, I'm really sorry about whatever happened last night. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that, especially not while you're going through such a difficult time."

"You didn't." Kurt rushes to stop him feeling guilty. "Whatever happened last night, I'm sure I was a willing participant. We were both drunk and we like each other, I'm sure I was more than eager to kiss you. I still would love to kiss you." he finishes slowly.

There is a short pause. "Are you still sure you're ready for us to be boyfriends?" Blaine asks.

"Yes. I'm ready. I want it." Kurt says. "Do you?" he asks more shyly.

"Of course, I do." Blaine takes Kurt's hands. "I want to be with you so bad; I just needed to know that you were sure."

"I am."

"Then there's nothing keeping us apart." Blaine smiles and asks in his most sincere voice. "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, will you please be my boyfriend?"

Kurt beams so big, flushing happily. "YES!" Blaine leans in immediately to kiss him; but, Kurt leans away and brings his hand up between their mouths. "You don't want to kiss me yet. I just threw up." He explains to Blaine's confusion.

Blaine breaks into giggles and Kurt follows suit. Rather than kiss the two of them embrace tightly, holding each other as close as they can and breathing each other in. Reveling in their newfound relationship. Kurt buries his nose in the semi-gelled curls of Blaine's head and Blaine places small kisses on the patch of Kurt's skin he's nuzzled into.


	33. Not listening

_Hello! I hope you enjoy the first part of this chapter, not so much the second half. I'm glad to hear you're all as eagerly waiting Ms. Newton's reckoning as I am; but am sorry to say it's still a few chapters away. Until then enjoy the Klaine fluff I have lined up._

 _Read and Review please._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, Klaine or Harry Potter, regrettably. But, also regrettably, I do own Laurette and Vincent._

Kurt and Blaine don't announce their new relationship to the other Warblers. They don't want to make a big spectacle of it. Instead, they decide to just be open with their affections and let the others figure it out. If someone asks them, they won't lie. But they won't go around telling everyone they can either.

Quite expectedly it's Nick and Jeff who first figure it out. The long-time couple confronts the new couple to demand what had happened last night. After receiving conformation from Kurt and Blaine, Nick and Jeff do the announcing for them. The two run about Thad's halls cheering and hooting and telling everyone that, "Klaine is official!"

'Klaine' being their couple name. Which had been made up ages ago. Because, apparently, everyone knew they were going to end up together.

Now, Kurt and Blaine are hanging out in Kurt's room back at Dalton. Nick, Jeff, Wes, and David are with them, gushing over how 'adorable' the two are as they hold hands and sit together of Kurt's bed. Blaine blushes under the torment of mocking comments and buries his face into Kurt's shoulder. Which only causes a round of "aww" from the boys.

"Oh get out!" Blaine huffs.

"This is my room." Nick protests. "You get out."

"Fine." Blaine says and stands, pulling Kurt with him. "We're going to my room. Leave us alone." Kurt giggles. Cat-calls and wolf-whistles follow them to the door.

The two new lovers go to Blaine's gloriously empty room. "First, let's exchange Christmas presents." Kurt says to the eager Blaine as he tries to pull Kurt into his bed for kisses.

"You didn't have to get me anything. All I want is you." Blaine says but sits up and pulls a package out from under his bed anyway.

Kurt tosses his package at Blaine, then watches eagerly as the younger boy digs through the Santa-themed box. He'd found a display of all kinds of Harry Potter merchandise at the bookstore and had bought a bunch of it as Blaine's present; including a marauders map blanket, a Hufflepuff scarf, every type of wizarding candy they sold and, what Kurt is most proud to have found, a Hogwarts bowtie. Blaine stares in awe at the collection. "You are the best boyfriend ever!" he thanks Kurt with enthusiastic kisses.

After more than a few seconds the two boys pull away and Blaine hands Kurt a long, striped package. Inside is a beautiful new blue scarf printed with skull imagery. "Oh my McQueen." Kurt mutters and looks at his boyfriend astonished. "This is…"

Blaine smiles. "…It's like the one 'They' destroyed. It is the same one, right?"

Kurt nods with tears in his eyes. "You got me a new one?"

Blaine shrugs. "I thought you'd like it."

"I do. This is amazing. You're amazing." Kurt pulls Blaine into a tight hug and a quick kiss.

"I also got us reservations at a nice restaurant for next weekend so we can have a proper first date as a couple." Blaine adds.

Kurt smiles and presses another kiss to his lips. "You are most definitely the best boyfriend ever."

Blaine smiles big. "I'm not sure about that, but if I accept it does that mean I can get more kisses?" Kurt giggles and moves their opened presents off the bed. Then lays down on Blaine's bed and opens his arms as an open invitation. They rest on their sides and trade sweet, lazy kisses. At least until Kurt's phone interrupts their quiet bliss. He collapses back to glare at the offending device. Blaine groans and tugs at Kurt. "Ignore it." He begs.

Kurt is sorely tempted to but it may be important. He picks it up; the caller ID reads 'Aunt Flagitious'. Kurt stiffens. "It's been five weeks." He says. Meaning he's overdue.

Blaine is quick to catch onto his new boyfriend's sudden mood shift. He questions "What?" and looks at the phone over top of Kurt. "Don't answer it."

Kurt looks at him with fear but shakes his head and pulls away to take the phone. He has to answer, who knows what they'll do if he ignores them? "Yes?" he asks answering the call.

"You sure took your time picking up." Laurette scolds.

"Just tell me what time she's coming over and I'll be there." Kurt says tersely.

"Don't misstep Brat! Don't forget your place." She snaps. "Ms. Newton will be here for lunch tomorrow."

"Fine." Kurt says.

"We expect you to be here tonight. You've got an hour."

Blaine's hands rubbing gently across his arms give him courage to refuse her orders. "That's not happening. I'll see you for lunch tomorrow." Kurt says before she can hang up on him, then promptly hangs up on her. It feels slightly satisfying to have taken the last word.

Blaine's arms wrap themselves around Kurt's tense torso. Kurt rolls back over to face him and lets his boyfriend's warm embrace soothe him. Blaine whispers in Kurt's ear. "You okay?"

Kurt shakes his head. "I don't want to go back there."

"You shouldn't." Blaine says. "Stay here where they can't hurt you."

Kurt shakes his head again. "They'll come here after me. I don't want them hurting you; or anybody else."

"There's got to be another way. I have those pictures I took after the first time you came back hurt and everyone saw how you reacted after Thanksgiving. We could tell Principal Gooden; he would help us."

"He can't do anything, Blaine. I'm in the state social service system, no one can do anything for me against them because they think my aunt and uncle are great guardians. Ms. Newton is the only one who can do something about it and she refuses to." Kurt argues.

Blaine frowns defeated. "Then you have to convince her."

"I've tried."

"I know. Keep at it; she can't ignore you forever." Blaine says.

Kurt groans and presses his nose to Blaine's. "Can we please go back to kissing? I don't want to think about this 'till tomorrow."

Blaine sighs warm air enchantingly across Kurt's face. He doesn't say anything just slides his nose by Kurt's so their mouths can meet. The two kiss on for minutes. Tongues give gentle swipes to lips every so often and hands trace abstract patterns along the top halves of either boys' body. Kurt tangles his fingers into gelled curls and rolls over onto his back, pulling Blaine on top of him. He memorizes the secure feeling of Blaine covering him to use as a shield the next day; wishing he could stay like this, in Blaine's arms, holding and kissing him, forever.

Tomorrow comes too quick. Kurt finds himself in his car sitting outside the Cote's apartment much too soon. He stalls there in anticipatory terror, knowing it will make him late, but unable to move. Two voices argue in his head; one rational telling him to leave, the other to scared to disobey Laurette's orders. Finally, the scared side wins out and he exits his car.

As he is crossing through the parking lot another car pulls up next to him. The window is open and from inside the driver calls out to him. "Hello Kurt." It's Ms. Newton.

She is here earlier than Kurt expected; or maybe he's later than he thought. Either way Vincent and Laurette would not be happy about it. He's going to have hell to pay for not arriving before her.

She hops out of the car and joins him in his journey to the apartment. "So where have you been that you're just getting home now?" She asks.

"I've been at Dalton, which is far closer to being my home than this place." He says factually.

"Kurt." She sighs exasperated.

"It's the truth." He interrupts. He steps in front of her, forcering her to stop and pay attention to him. "It's the truth you refuse to listen to. I haven't been here since the last time you were. I'm at Dalton almost 24/7. For Christmas I didn't come here, I wasn't even invited to. I went to Lima and stayed with Carole, that woman you said wasn't fit to be my parent, and in the nine days I was there she loved and cared for me exponentially more than these two ever flagitious fissilinguals ever have. She brought my grandpa over for Christmas, took me to visit my parent's graves, let me hang out with my friends, made sure I was happy and didn't hurt me. She didn't hit me or kick me or stomp on me the way these monsters have done for months.

"After that I spent New Years with my friends and boyfriend. People 'They' would never approve of because half of them are like me, gay. The cotes are homophobic, abusive, horrible people." He rants at her.

She looks angry. "Kurt, I know you're going through a tough time. But making up lies like this about your guardians is wrong."

"What's wrong is you being a child care professional. It's your job to make sure I am safe and cared for in the home you put me in. You are supposed to do these interviews to find out how I am doing, not how they say I'm doing. They asked to have me, which means they have more reason to lie to keep me, than I would have to lie to get away from them if they actually were good people. You are supposed to investigate them thoroughly and be more skeptical of their word than mine. And you have completely failed at all of that." He spits the words at her, then turns to continue into the building.

She glares at him obviously offended and angry. But, hopefully, what he's said will get to her this time.

By the time Kurt reaches the door of the apartment she is right behind him again. He knocks on the wood and it is straightway opened. A tight grip complete with sharp fingernails grips his arm and yanks him in. Laurette is so obviously going to start yelling at him, until she sees Ms. Newton behind him. She looks stunned and quickly changes her expression to be less aggressive. "Something you wanted to say?" Kurt taunts her openly.

A glare simmers in her eyes. "I was wondering where you were. We expected you here-home last night." She says and pulls him into a hug. "I was worried something had happened."

He pushes her away. "I told you I'd be here by lunchtime today and no earlier. Maybe you should have listened better." Kurt is glad Ms. Newton is watching this interaction. Maybe he can show her the true nature of the Cotes.

The grip she still has on his arm tightens, nails no doubt leaving imprints behind. "Well, lunch is just about ready, why don't you come help me set the table?"

He goes along with her. The anger obviously boiling beneath her skin is no doubt going to burst out and burn him before this is over. Vincent is just inside the kitchen, also clearly hiding his fury under a fake smile. He just hopes the explosion happens before Ms. Newton leaves. One more beating would be worth getting the proof that will get him out of here forever.

Kurt, under Laurette and Vincent's orders, quickly has the lunch set on the table and the four of them are sitting down to enjoy the hot soup on this cold January day. Kurt tucks his feet up under his chair when he feels Laurette's heel searching for it under the table. The meal is filled with polite conversation between Ms. Newton and the Cote's, much to Kurt's frustration. Worse comes at the end of the meal, Laurette and Vincent make to their room, offering the living room for Kurt and Ms. Newton's interview as usual, but Ms. Newton says it will not be necessary. "Kurt and I had our interview on our way up here."

"Seriously?" Kurt says. "That was our interview?"

"Yes. I learned everything I need to in our discussion about how things are going here." Ms. Newton says with a less than friendly look in his direction. Somehow, he thinks she took the exact opposite of what she should have from that conversation.

He glares back at her. "Fine then. See you next time then. And thank you."

She raises an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For proving me right about you." he says.

Her glare turns resentful and she stomps out to the entry way.

Laurette follows while Vincent takes a hold of Kurt. The large man presses Kurt against a wall by a hand at his throat, it isn't suffocating but it is uncomfortably close to being so. Vincent's glare weighs on him even as he avoids the gaze. Laurette comes back in a minute later. "Ms. Newton is gone. She says we'll have our next check up at the end of the month."

Vincent grunts in response. "Great, can we get to his punishment now?" He asks impatiently.

"Let's please." She says. Both their eyes glint hungrily as they turn all their attention to Kurt; who is still pinned to the wall. Laurette stalks to him and claws into his face with her nails to force him to look at her. "Need I even count your misdeeds today, you impertinent little waste?" She sneers. "I don't think I can even put a number to it. So, how 'bout I just let Vinny loose on you until he feel's good and satisfied? Hmm?"

Kurt glares at them, hoping to convince them his shaking is from anger rather than fear. The false bravado falls when Vincent throws him into the counter, his back connecting with the two-inch thick edging made of solid marble. Vincent kicks him before he hits the floor. Kurt curls up defensively as more kicks and profanities are sent his way. He ignores the demands for him to get up until Laurette's sharp-nailed hands pull him up by his hair. For the first time ever she gets in on the beating by way of a few stinging slaps to the face. Then hands him back off to Vincent who holds nothing back in his onslaught. There is one punch to his face, countless to his torso, and some of his fingers get crushed under Vincent's heavy booted foot. Time blurs together as he succumbs to the relentlessness. It all ends when Vincent picks him up and throws him across the room for the fourth time, this time into the table. Kurt collapses to the floor, the remains of their lunch falling on top of him from the shuddering of the furniture. Something warm and wet soaks his hair on the back of his head; he just hopes it's the left-over soup.

Laurette stops Vincent then, cautioning him about going too far. They leave Kurt barely conscious on the floor.


	34. Secrets out

_Hi guys! Here's the next chapter, one day early! I'm not gonna be in town tomorrow, I'll be at a party for the fourth of July; so I won't be able to update._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter is called 'Secrets out' but we've not quite reached the happy ending yet. This is just the first thread of everything unraveling. And after the emotional torment of the last few chapters, the next few will be mostly fluffy relief._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the story line._

It's a miracle that Kurt makes it back to Dalton in one piece that afternoon. It had taken a long while for Kurt to even be able to move after the beating; but, Vincent and Laurette had never come back to lock him up or throw him out so he'd stumbled to his car. He'd collapsed onto his bed once in the empty room. Now he was huddled in his blankets desperately needing Blaine to come relieve him from his torment.

When the door does finally open it's not his boyfriend he so craves for who enters. He covers himself more thoroughly with the blankets. Nick cannot be allowed to see him in his current state, else he will know something is up. He tries to remains still and stifle his whimpers but Nick notices him anyway. "Kurt?"

Kurt ignores him, hoping he'll go away.

"Kurt are you okay?" A hand comes down to rest on Kurt's back. Despite the fact that the hand can obviously only be Nick's, Kurt recoils and cries out. He jumps and some of the blankets fall away. Nick backs up, startled. "Woah!" Then stops and looks alarmed at Kurt. "Oh my gosh! What the hell happened to your eye!?"

Kurt reaches up to feel at his face. Oh no! Does he have a black eye? One of them is rather sore from being punched. Kurt covers the sore one.

Nick leans across the bed towards Kurt. "Who did that to you?" Kurt scrambles away from him.

Nick needs to get out of here. He can't see this. Nobody else is supposed to find out about this. Kurt dives back into hiding under his bedding, peeking out to watch his roommate's movements.

Nick kneels on the bed and hovers his hands above Kurt's form, trying not to make Kurt jump again. Unbidden whimpers fall from Kurt's lips. His breathing is ragged and shallow. "Kurt?" Nick solicits more softly. "Kurt what happened? Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?"

"NO!" Kurt cries. "No, no, no!"

"Okay! Okay. Shh. Shh. Calm down; it's okay." Nick rushes out, still keeping his hands off the panicking Kurt. "Can I look at it? It looks bad."

"NO! NO!" Kurt just about screams as his roommate's hands pull at the blankets.

Nick backs off again. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He assures but doesn't make another move towards Kurt; rather changes tactics. "What do you want? What can I do? Do you need some ice? Or painkillers?"

"Blaine" Kurt gasps.

"Blaine? Okay, I can get Blaine. Just breathe. I'll call Blaine." Nick says and gets off the bed.

Kurt can hear him dialing on his cellphone and half of the conversation once the other end picks up. "Hello, Blaine?... where's Blaine?... Tell him to hurry up. I need to talk to him… It's Kurt! Kurt's hurt and freaking out. He wants Blaine… I don't know Jeff! Just put Blaine on… Blaine!... his aunt's?... he's got black eye… I don't know. Just get over here…" Nick hangs up.

He comes back to Kurt's bed, this time kneeling beside it. "Blaine's coming. He's on his way."

Not two minutes later is their door burst open by that sweetest comforter; and immediately thereafter by his roommate. Blaine ignores Jeff and Nick in favor of getting down on the bed next to Kurt. "Kurt, what hurts? How bad is it?" He asks peering in at Kurt through the hurt boy's own peep-hole.

"Blaine." Kurt gasps in return; his hyperventilating calming significantly. He inches his fingers out to find a grasp on the other boy. "It hurts."

"I know, baby. I need you to come out so I can look at you. We can make it better but you have to come out." He beckons, giving encouraging tugs to the blankets. Kurt opens the blanket only some so Blaine can crawl into them with him.

Blaine is graciously patient, just holding Kurt as he cries into him. "It's over, baby. They're not here. They can't hurt you anymore. I've got you." Blaine whispers to the ear his mouth is near. "Please, Kurt, let me see your eye. Let me check on your injuries so that I know how to help." Kurt clings tighter, not responding with anything more than tears and whimpers. Blaine doesn't push him, only gives encouragement in the right direction. Eventually, with continued requests, Kurt nods into Baine chest.

Blaine sits the two of them up, dropping the blankets to pool around their waists. He pushes Kurt's head far enough away that he can see the black eye. From his expression Kurt can tell it looks bad. But, he doesn't get to comment on it before alarmed gasps comes from the two other boys in the room, that Kurt had forgotten were there. "Your head!" Jeff exclaims. At the same time Nick cries, "You're bleeding!"

Kurt clutches the back of his head and tries to dive back into hiding. Blaine doesn't let him. Instead he pulls him into his shoulder so he can check on his head. Calloused fingers gently probe the blood-matted hair to find the wound. "Get me a wash cloth and a bucket of water." Blaine asks of them.

"We need to get the nurse." Jeff says.

"no, no, no…" Kurt begs, getting worked up again.

"No." Blaine commands much more firmly. At the same time, he is trying to shush Kurt. "Get me a wash cloth."

"Blaine! Look at him. He's really hurt!" Jeff exclaims.

"I know!" Blaine raises his voice, which is furthering Kurt's agitation. He drops his voice back down with apologies and reassurances. Then turns back to Jeff more controlled. "I know he is. He's hurt and scared, but you aren't helping. You don't know what's going on so do as I tell you. Get me a wash cloth. Then sit down and shut up for a few minutes. I'll explain things later. Just let me take care of him first."

Jeff looks reluctant and conflicted. So, Nick grabs the wash cloth and water. Then he pulls his boyfriend onto his bed and they watch in silence as Blaine cleans the wound. Nick continues to get what Blaine asks for; gauze, ointment, ice. Soon there after Kurt's head in patched and Blaine is holding an icepack to his eye.

Jeff snatches the opportunity to ask for an explanation. Kurt begs Blaine to not with his eyes and a quiet, "Please, don't". No one else can know.

"We have to tell them." Blaine apologizes. Kurt shakes his already hurting head vehemently. Blaine sighs. "You two need to promise Kurt that you won't share this information with anyone. He doesn't want anybody knowing."

"Okay we won't say anything." Nick promises.

Nothing comes from the blonde's mouth though. "Jeff." Blaine implores.

"This is something bad isn't it? Something we really shouldn't keep secret?" Jeff determines.

"I won't tell you anything if you don't promise." Blaine says. "This is Kurt's secret to tell. He's going through enough without adding to it. So, if you want to know you need to respect his wishes."

Jeff looks to Kurt. Kurt shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. He must look bad enough that Jeff takes pity on him. "Fine. I promise I won't say anything to anyone else."

Blaine nods and looks to Kurt deferring the decision to him; who's going to tell them? Kurt really doesn't want them to know. But, they've seen some of his wounds. They're already know too much to not tell them. "Please don't look at me different after." He whispers loud enough for them to hear. Then he nudges Blaine and whispers for only him, "I can't tell them. Please help me."

Blaine nods and faces them. "Okay. So, um… you remember how Kurt and his Aunt don't get along? That's sort of an understatement. She's cruel to him and her husband beats him…" Blaine goes on. He summarizes the back-story Kurt had told him, tells them how he found out and everything that has happened since. Nick and Jeff sit in horrified silence at the things their friend is telling them. "…That's why he was acting so weird when we got back to school after Thanksgiving break. I was in the Philippines and didn't answer my phone. He was scared and lonely and she made him think we all hated him. That was the last time-"

Blaine's torrent of words is interrupted by a distressed exclamation from Jeff. "That was my fault. You were at my house; I let you leave. I let you go there, I told you it would be fine. I told you it would be good for you." The blonde rambles guiltily.

Nick grabs his hand and both he and Blaine open their mouths to rebuke his claims. It's Kurt, however, who voice first makes it out into the room. "No. It didn't have anything to do with you." he says quietly.

The guilt doesn't leave Jeff's face though. Nick pulls him in tightly and Blaine consoles him by saying, "Kurt's right. It's not your fault. You didn't know. I don't blame you Jeff. He called me before he left your house and a million times the next couple of days; I never answered. I blame myself. I knew about it. There were so many things I could've done if only I'd picked up my phone."

"You were in the Philippines." Kurt argues. "You had no signal. You couldn't pick up."

"I got some in the airport, I saw some missed calls from you. But, I thought that I was coming home anyway so, I would be there to see you so soon. I should've known it was important just because of how many calls there were. I was stupid and…"

"It's not your fault." Kurt insists, tearing up at his boyfriend's confession.

All four boys sit in somber silence for a few minutes; each individual trying to give some comfort to their own significant other. Nick and Jeff wait patiently for the story to continue. Only once does Jeff petition, "So, what about since then?"

Blaine pulls himself together and remakes himself as the support for Kurt to lean on. "Well, you guys saw him that next week. Or rather, didn't see him much as he was avoiding everybody. After he sang 'The Lonely' I got the story out of him and tried to help him get better. He hasn't been back there since then, until today." He answers.

Another pained silence envelopes them. Kurt watches his friends process all they've just learned, desperately wishing they would give him some indication of what they're thinking. He doesn't want this to change anything. Nick gulps and braves asking a question. "The way Blaine described him finding out about and treating your injuries the first time, and the way he makes it seem like things have gotten worse since then, seems like these 'beatings' are too brutal to leave behind only a black eye and a bloody gash on your head. Do-do you have more injuries?"

Kurt nods reluctantly to his roommate. Nick breathes in shakily but can't seem to find any more words to speak. Blaine leans into Kurt's ear promising to look those over later, when they can get Nick and Jeff out of the room.

"We need to tell somebody about this." Jeff finally speaks. "This isn't something we can keep secret; we need to get help."

Kurt's body is shaking near as much as his head in disagreement. He can't even hold enough control over his body to utter the word, "No".

"You're being hurt, Kurt. This is child abuse. We need to get adult help. We can call the police or social services and they'll take you out of there." Jeff tries to persuade.

"You think we haven't tried Jeff?" Blaine asks incredulously, holding Kurt tighter and trying to keep from raising his voice in frustration. "Kurt is a ward of the state. A foster kid to his aunt and uncle. He has a social worker that he's told everything to. She won't do anything about it. He even talked to the head of the child services department before he went into their care because he knew they weren't suitable guardians. They won't do anything."

The protective fire in Jeff has been snuffed, he looks downright scared. "Then what do we do? We can't let this go on."

Blaine's breath stutters and a tear slips down his cheek. "I don't know." He confesses; another tear slips down his cheek. Jeff clenches his fists. Kurt hates how powerless he's making his friends feel; but, then again, what can he do? He feels just as powerless about it all.

"Jeff, Babe, I think the best thing we can do right now is go. We need to leave so Blaine can take care of Kurt tonight. He can even sleep here and I'll stay with you." Nick says. "We'll figure out what to do, later."

"You just want to have S-E-X all night long." Kurt teases. It gets a few small smiles and huffs of laughter.

"Trust me Kurt, sex is the last thing on my mind right now." Nick says. "I just want you to be okay." Nick moves over to hug Kurt.

"I will be." Kurt promises and nods towards Blaine.

"I'm sure you will. Maybe I won't be the one having sex tonight." Nick whispers with a wink.

Kurt's blushes and shakes his head. "N-no!"

Nick laughs. "I'm kidding."

Kurt buries his tomato red face into Blaine and ignores the laughter of his roommate. He stays there until both Nick and Jeff have left the room and Blaine is pulling him out to assess the rest of his injuries.

True to Nick's words, after tending to him and bringing dinner up to his bedroom for him, Blaine stays the night with him. Wrapped in his Dad's flannel shirt and Blaine's arms results in a comfortable and relaxing night for Kurt.


	35. Boyfriends

_Hello! This chapter was supposed to be all fluff but I can't seem to give Kurt a break so there is a little bit of angst and homophobia. But it all ends happy and there will be no lasting damage. So, enjoy some copious amounts of Klaine._

 _Please leave a review._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Klaine or anything Glee._

 _P.S. Sorry. I'm reupdating the same chapter. I realized I put the wrong draft of this chapter up. It's just a few minor changes, mostly the same._

Kurt wakes up with a firm, warm surface beneath his cheek. Soft fluff covers him. Coffee and raspberry tickle his nostrils. A dull thumping soothes his tense muscles. He opens his eyes and peers up to see a gorgeous face surrounded by a ridiculous mane of dark curls. Blaine is adorable.

He stays in the comfortable hold of his boyfriend; and he still can't believe he gets to call Blaine that! His fingers absentmindedly trace across the planes of Blaine's chest. He trails them up to the neck he is breathing into, where he places a gentle kiss. Blaine stirs with a giggle, "That tickles." He murmurs.

Kurt smiles and places more kisses the area, deliberately dragging his lips across the sensitive skin. Blaine groans sleepily in protest but Kurt continues until the younger boy rolls over and pins him to the bed. "Good morning." Blaine whispers with a short kiss to Kurt's lips.

Kurt returns the gesture. "Morning. You know we should probably stop sleeping this way. We can't keep letting Nick and Jeff sleep together every night just because we want to sleep together every night."

"It hasn't been every night; it's only been four of the last five." Blaine argues. "And it's because you decided you didn't like sleeping apart on Monday night."

"Well, I didn't hear you complaining every time I crawled in bed with you." Kurt pouts at him, knowing he'll receive another kiss for it.

Indeed, he does and Blaine moves to murmur in his ear, "Never said I did." He kisses Kurt sensually there, then continues down his jaw and across his cheek back to his lips. There he presses one more firm kiss before getting up.

The two boys take a few minutes to brush their teeth and make the bed while they wait for Jeff to sneak his way back over from Woodsworth. They'd learned the hard way on Wednesday morning to let their roommates be the one to return to the proper room first after their nights together. With fresh breaths, and in Kurt's case a freshly moisturized face, the two boyfriends sit cross-legged on Blaine's bed, knees touching and fingers entwined between them as they talk the time away. Once Jeff does make his appearance Kurt slinks his way to his room to finish preparing for the day; he may have left an extra toothbrush and products in Blaine's room but the majority of it all, including his clothes, are in his own room still.

Tonight, he and Blaine have their first date as an official couple. Kurt takes extra time to prepare himself today. His shower is longer and his moisturizing routine is even more meticulous than usual. Every hair is placed perfectly up into a coif before he finally descends for breakfast.

Anticipation and anxiety course through his veins the whole day, which he spends with his friends. Wes is back from his Christmas break and is already breathing down everyone's necks about prepping for Regionals. He's called a Warblers meeting, despite the fact that it is Friday and school doesn't start up again until Monday. The meeting mostly consists of everyone trying to calm their manic head council member; but, it does waste away a few hours of the day, so Kurt is grateful for that.

Their reservation is at seven at the Bon Vie Restaurant, a nice French place in Columbus. They'll have to leave campus by about 6:40 to get there on time so Kurt ditches their group a little before five to go get ready. As soon as he reaches the room he is stripping and trying on a slew of different outfits. Again and again he changes, none of the selections ever feeling good enough, until his floor is soon covered with discarded clothing and he is staring into his mostly empty closet agonizing over what to wear. What is going to make him look his absolute best? Okay, he just needs to calm down and think about this more clearly; he has the fashion sense to make this work. Blue; he looks good in blue, it makes his eyes pop. And it's one of Blaine's favorite colors. He's got a light celestial blue dress shirt. It has some small silver detailing, which will look great with his silver vest. Black pants will look the best with that. And those Gucci boots Mercedes had given him for Christmas. But, what about accessories? Should he where a hat? Or is that too over the top? He's going on a date with a boy, they'll garner enough attention. It may be in Columbus rather than Lima, but it is still Ohio. Maybe he'll forgo the hat. But he chooses to where his keys charm around his neck rather than a tie, their glimmering silver looks fabulous with his vest. A glance at the clock once he's finally dressed and is putting away the rest of his clothes reveals he's just about out of time. He rushes into the bathroom to fix his hair and touch up anything that needs it. He's deemed himself perfect and made the room presentable just in time for a knock on the door.

He opens it with giddy butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Blaine stands there with a single red flower and looking absolutely gorgeous. The two of them stand for a moment just drinking each other in. "Wow! Kurt, you're stunning." Blaine breathes. Kurt blushes happily. "Um, this is for you." Blaine says handing Kurt the flower, a beautiful amaryllis. "I'm sorry it's so little. I ran out of time to go get a bouquet because I was stressing over my outfit. I know how much you love fashion and knew you'd end up looking fabulous so I didn't want to disappoint you with my fashion sense. So, I just picked this out of the gardens. I know it's kinda lame-"

Kurt cut Blaine's rambling off with a light laugh. "Don't worry about it. I love it. It's really sweet. Thank you, Honey." He says and hangs the amaryllis on his pinboard. "And you look very handsome." Truly he does. Blaine looks great in red. He's wearing a red blazer layered over a black shirt, with a white bowtie. His pants are also red and very nicely fitted. His loafers are black with white; and to top it all off his curly hair is only half gelled.

Blaine smiles as Kurt rejoins him. They link hands and walk out to Blaine's car in a comfortable silence. During the ride they sing along to the radio. Their hands are still joined across the center consol. It takes them a little over fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant.

Bon Vie Restaurant is stylish on the outside; within it holds delicious aromas and elegant lighting. "Reservation for two under 'Anderson'." Blaine tells the hostess at the front desk.

She looks up at him with a smile, but it fades some when she takes notice of Kurt and their linked hands. Kurt doesn't like her clear discomfort with them and is worried that they are about to be thrown out. However, she forces a smile back up over her wary expression. "Of course, Monsieur. Right this way." She leads them to a small table in the middle of the room. Kurt can feel many other eyes on them as they take their seats. This spot is less than ideal as just about everyone in the place can see and judge them. She leaves them saying their server will be out in a moment and walks off to the kitchen.

Kurt and Blaine share a quiet conversation for a few minutes before they see the hostess walk out of the kitchens followed by a rather pretty blonde girl, who she sets off in their direction. The blonde waitress approaches them and hands them each a menu. "Bonjour. I'm Delilah, and I will be your serveur tonight." She says in a thigh tinkling voice. She cannot be but a couple years older than them. "Can I start you off with some drinks?"

The two boys take a minute to look at their menus. Kurt speaks up first. "I'll have a Jus de pamplemousse, please."

She nods to him and writes it down. "Certainly Monsieur." She turns to Blaine, batting her eyelashes and asking. "And for you?"

Blaine just blushes as he looks at his menu. He glances up at Kurt's questioning expression. "Um… I didn't know that the menu was all in French. I can't read it." He mumbles embarrassed.

Kurt laughs. "Oh, Honey. Let me help you. Café is coffee, thé is tea, jus is juice or you can have eau, which is water."

"Uh. I like juice. Do they have lemonade?" He keeps blushing.

"A Citron Pressé for him, please." Kurt orders. The waitress writes it down distractedly not turning her attention from Blaine; her green eyes wide and avidly focused on him. She lingers for an extra few seconds and winks before walking off.

Kurt chooses to ignore her and turns his attention back to Blaine. He raises a mocking eyebrow. "You picked this place without knowing the menu was in French?"

Blaine, who is still blushing, hides his face in his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about it. The staff all speak English."

Kurt laughs. "You are so cute. Do you want some help picking a meal?"

"Yes please." Blaine says.

"What are you in the mood for. Pasta? Chicken? Sea food? Escargot?" Kurt asks.

"Not snails!" Blaine says. "But other than that, it all sounds good. Why don't you pick for me? I trust you to get me something delicious."

"Mhmm. Or you just don't want to deal with any more French words." Kurt teases but smiles genuinely. He looks over the menu. "How about Parmesan crusted chicken?"

"Sounds good."

The waitress returns a few minutes later with their drinks. "Have you decided on your entrées?" she addresses Blaine only, standing very near him and facing him, effectively cutting Kurt out of the conversation. Her pen is placed to her lips as she waits for his response.

Kurt furrows his brows a bit but says, "Yes, we have. I'll have Truite Pochée au fenouil et beurre blanc. And my boyfriend will have the Poulet grille au parmesan. Merci."

She glances at him looking annoyed but takes the order. "I'll get that to you in just a few minutes, Beau." She says specifically to Blaine. Then turns around but glances back over her shoulder with a gentle hair flip and a smile to Blaine.

Kurt's eyes follow her with a less than pleased expression. "She's flirting with you." He grumbles displeased.

Blaine grabs Kurt's hand across the table. "Well, too bad for her I'm as straight as a rainbow and very much taken." He says. "Don't go getting jealous. At least no one's had any obvious homophobic qualms about us being here." Kurt melts for Blaine and they spend the time that they are waiting for their meals talking.

It takes a few minutes of pleasant conversation for Kurt to build up the courage to bring up the subject that's come into his mind recently. He waits for a lull in the talking to say "I really want you to meet my grandpa. And Carole."

Blaine looks up wide-eyed. "Huh?" Kurt more nervously repeats himself. Blaine's look of shock turns to astonished smile. "Really? I would love to Kurt. I know how important they are to you."

Kurt lights up. "Really? Are you sure? I know it's kind of a big step, meeting the family…"

"Kurt." Blaine cuts into his rambling. "Yes, I'm sure. We can totally do that. Anything you want." The way Blaine is looking at him is flattering; his eyes are soft and happy. "How about we go down next weekend.

Kurt squeaks cheerily and smiles huge. "You're the best."

Blaine pulls Kurt's hand towards his mouth to lay a kiss on it. But, at that moment their waitress returns with their food, interrupting the sweet gesture. She places Kurt's food down in front of him quickly; yet takes far more time to lay Blaine's down. She leans over slowly in his direction to lay it out. Her obscenely large breasts comes uncomfortably close to his face, and she has most definitely undone a few more buttons on her shirt since the last time she was here. Blaine averts his eyes to Kurt uneasily. Kurt squeezes his hand to reassure him and glares at the indecent waitress. "Anything else I can get for you, cher?" She asks Blaine, still leaning over like that.

"No. We're good thank you." Blaine dismisses.

Her face turns sour momentarily, then back into a displeased smile. "You need anything, just call my name." She tells Blaine and drags a hand down his arm. Blaine watches her leave disturbed and Kurt glares disgusted.

They clench their hands together and turn their attention to their meals. The food is pretty good and the conversation flows easy. Soon they've nearly forgotten their creepy waitress. Except the fact she keeps stopping by to ask Blaine if he wants anything. They continue to give her brief dismissals and ignore her otherwise. They eat and occasionally feed each other, until their food is gone.

Delilah comes rushing back as soon as they are eating the last bites. "Did you enjoy the food, Beau? Would you like some desert?" she asks. However, before either of them can answer she persists in speaking, with no shame saying, "I get off at eight; then I can offer you two sumptuous jugs of milk and some sweet buns; I'll even throw in a juicy red cherry on top."

Blaine looks sick and can't sputter out anything more than nonsensical sounds. On the other side of the table, Kurt has had enough. He glares at her back, which is again facing to him, and calls her out loud and clear so as not to be ignored. "That is entirely inappropriate of you to say."

A huff escapes her and she turns to him. "Oh don't get jealous, petit bitte ventouse. It was never gonna work out between you anyway. He's clearly just confused; if he were really gay he would have gone out with a real man rather than some one who is clearly gender-challenged. I'm just giving him what he wants: a real girl."

"HEY! Don't talk to him like that!" Blaine growls. "You are way out of line."

"Would you please quiet down, you, filthy fag! People are trying to have a nice dinner here." The man sitting at the next table butts in.

"As are my boyfriend and I. But our waitress is making inappropriate comments." Blaine retorts.

"We heard." The woman at that table says. "But the handholding you and that other faggot are doing is far more disgusting than her suggestions, and at least her reasons are admirable, at least she's trying to cure you. I wouldn't take the time; I don't think your kind deserve to live."

Kurt tries to pulls his hand away and curl into himself but Blaine won't let him. Instead, Blaine tightens his grip on Kurt's hand and glares at the woman. By now everyone in the restaurant is looking at them. It makes Kurt want to take Blaine with him and run far away, to somewhere they can curl up together, away from all the judging eyes.

"I'm sorry you think that. But you're just ignorant; and your opinion changes nothing." Blaine bites back.

"If you think that way then you're free to leave." Delilah says. "And to think I was going to give you my number. You're disgusting." She stomps off to the kitchen.

A minute later they are approached by a manager. "You need to leave." Is all he says.

"Excuse me?" Blaine demands.

"We've had complaints from customers and one of our waitresses. You're causing problems, you need to leave." He repeats.

"Because we're both guys? That's not a problem. Your waitress was being rude and inappropriate." Kurt tries to explain but the manager cuts him off and tells them once again to leave. He calls for a bouncer to forcefully take them from their seats and toss them out the front door. The door is then slammed in their faces.

Kurt breathes in the night air, a bit upset but mostly relived to be out of there. He makes a move to walk to the car but Blaine doesn't follow, he's standing, staring into the restaurant with a heartbroken expression. "Honey? What's wrong?" He asks wrapping his arm around the shorter boy.

Blaine drops his head and turns to Kurt. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm sorry; this was supposed to be a fun, worry-free date. And they were so mean."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. The food was pretty good and we did have a good time. We're never gonna be able to escape the homophobes entirely. So, don't let them get you down. We're better than them all."

"We didn't even get dessert; just that creepy waitress-"

Kurt cuts Blaine off. "Shh. We're not ever going to mention her again. And you know what?" Blaine shakes his head and tilts it curiously, making him look like an adorable puppy. "They kicked us out without charging us for the meal. So, we can go get a cheesecake and take it back to my room to finish this date." Kurt tells him and pulls him in by the lapels of his jacket for a swift, teasing kiss.

Blaine agrees swiftly, that gorgeous smile once again lighting up his face. The two giggle as they run back to the car and all the way to the dorms, a cheesecake now in hand.

They complete their date feeding each other their dessert and marathoning Disney movies until the wee hours of the morning when they finally fall asleep tangled up in each other.


	36. Meeting the family

_Hello loyal readers! Welcome to this fluffy, feel-good chapter. I want you all to enjoy this chapter and the next because after that things are going to get really heavy again. I'm really sorry about that, but to make up for it I will tell you that Kurt will only return to Laurette and Vincent's apartment once more before the end._

 _Read and leave a review. I love to hear from all my long-time loyal readers and from those of you who have just started reading this story. Your comments really make my day._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Kurt, Blaine, Carole, or anything else from Glee. I do own Hubert._

The next Saturday finds Kurt and Blaine hopping in Kurt's car. As they'd discussed at dinner last weekend, they are going to the Lima so Kurt can introduce Blaine to his grandpa and the Hudsons. Then later, Kurt is returning the favor by going with Blaine to have dinner with his parents.

Being so excited Kurt might be a bit heavy footed on the drive over to Lima. His excitement is such that once they're in the Hudson's driveway he's turned the car off and out his door before Blaine has had a chance to unbuckle his seat-belt.

That also means that for the first time Kurt gets to be the gentleman and open Blaine's door for him. He's a little less of a gentleman slamming the door behind them as he pulls Blaine to the house. Kurt uses his key, that Carole had given him months ago, to let themselves inside. "Carole? Finn? We're here!" Kurt calls.

Out of the kitchen Carole comes to greet them. After hugging Kurt, she offers her hand for a shake to the other boy. "You must be Blaine; Kurt's told me so much about you."

"As have I of you, Ma'am. Kurt adores you." Blaine says.

Carole smiles wider. "I don't think he likes me half as much as he does you." She divides her attention to let Kurt know she's talking to him too, "In fact I had thought he might have brought you here to tell me you'd worked out your little mistletoe setback." She raises her eyebrows at the two boys expectantly.

Blaine blushes and whispers "You told her about that?" to Kurt. Kurt just nods excitedly at her.

An accidental squeal burst from her lips and she pulls them both into an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie." She tells Kurt.

"Thanks." He grins broadly. Blaine slips his fingers in between Kurt's.

Carole's smile is soft. "I have to go finish dinner. You two can go wait in the living room, watch tv or something."

"Do you need any help?" Kurt asks.

"No. You go entertain your boyfriend." She orders and walks back into the kitchen.

Kurt does as he's told. In the living room he pulls Blaine onto the couch with him. they turn on the tv but don't end up paying any attention to it. Kurt lays down on the couch. Blaine sprawls out on top of him, resting his head on the older boy's chest. "Carole's really cool." Blaine says.

"Yeah. She's great and she's done so much for me. I love her." Kurt says.

"She loves you too, and she's so supportive. My parents won't get that excited when I introduce you to them, tonight." Blaine laments. "They'll be polite and try to be supportive, I think. But they won't be that level of happy about it."

"Well, I'm extraordinarily happy about it." Kurt says. "And I hope you are too."

Blaine smirks and crawls up Kurt's body, resting on his elbows, so they are nose to nose. "Oh I am. This is the happiest I've ever been." He presses a kiss to Kurt's nose.

Kurt squirms and giggles. "That tickles!" Blaine raises one dark triangle and swoops back into wrap his lips around Kurt's nose. He pokes his tongue gently onto the tip.

Kurt shrieks and starts so hard they nearly fall off the couch. Blaine releases Kurt to stabilize them; then starts laughing. Kurt glares playfully and digs his fingers into Blaine's ribs. This time they actually do fall as Blaine leaps a foot while having a grip on Kurt's shirt. They both groan in pain as they hit the floor then burst into laughter simultaneously.

Kurt can't hold himself up he's laughing so hard, so he adjusts himself to be straddling Blaine's waist and laying across his chest. He rests his forehead on his boyfriends. They both slowly calm down, gasping in air, chests heaving into one another's. Kurt stretches his lips down to peck Blaine's.

"Uhh…" a confused voice says from the doorway. They both flip their heads to look over. Finn is standing there looking uncomfortable. "Uhh… what…?"

"Hi, Finn!" Kurt says blushing a little, aware how his and Blaine's position may look to his giant not-really-step-brother. He stands up and then helps Blaine up. "Finn, this is Blaine. Blaine, Finn."

Blaine offers his hand for Finn to shake but Finn Just stands there stupidly. "W-what are you guys doing?" He asks nervously.

"Nothing; just goofing off, Finn." Kurt comforts.

Finn doesn't look sure; he's eyeing their linked arms. "Okay." He turns to rush out of the room. A moment later they can hear him in the kitchen not-so-quietly exclaiming to his mom. "There's a boy in the living room with Kurt! They were kissing!"

Carole's laugh follows. "Yes Finn, that is what couples do."

The two boys walk into the kitchen, hands holding each other. Finn is looking at them appalled, Carole is laughing at her son's expression.

All through lunch Finn watches Kurt and Blaine. He looks slightly uncomfortable. Carole, however, is unfazed and spends the time getting to know Blaine. Finn looks quite surprised when Blaine starts talking about football and is soon deep in a debate about the best college teams. Kurt is so glad that they are all getting on so well.

After lunch and helping Carole clean up. Kurt and Blaine bid fond farewells to the Hudsons so they can make it to their next stop of the day. They enter the assisted living center and immediately the woman at the front desk greets Kurt by name. "Hubert is in the garden." She says.

"Thank you." Kurt says and pulls Blaine in that direction.

They find Kurt's grandpa sitting on a garden bench, watching the snowflakes fall. Kurt brushes the snow off the spot next to him. His grandpa looks over at the action, "Kurt?" he asks as the boy takes a seat in the newly cleaned spot and hugs his him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to visit you." Kurt replies in a 'duh' voice. "But what are you doing out here? You'll freeze."

"I'm fine, you worrier." Hubert says. "And I know you came to see me, obviously. But, why? You haven't come to see me here in a long time. You usually check me out and we go somewhere else. So, what gives?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I want to introduce you to someone." Kurt turns back to beckon Blaine over from where he'd stopped a few feet away. "Grandpa, this is Blaine, my boyfriend." Kurt proudly states.

"Boyfriend?" Hubert interjects in the middle of Kurt's words.

"Blaine, this is my grandpa."

Blaine sticks out his hand with a friendly smile. "Hello Mr. Hummel."

Hubert shakes his hand but before Blaine can end it he pulls the short boy in close and asks, "So, Blaine, what exactly are your intentions with my grandson?"

"Uh… to date him?" He says nervously.

"And what exactly does that entail?" Hubert maintains the intimidating stare, ignoring Kurt's protests.

"Um, going on dates and spending time with him and kissing him sometimes." Blaine says.

"Anything else? You playing any games? You going to hurt him? Break his heart?"

"No, sir!" Blaine promises. "I would never. I really like him."

Hubert eyes him a moment more, then releases him. "Good. Because I'm much too old and frail to believably threaten you if you do." Kurt tugs his thoroughly intimidated boyfriend back to sit on the bench on the other side of him.

"So, when did this happen?" Hubert asks his grandson.

"Two weeks ago." Kurt smiles.

"Isn't this a little early to be introducing him to your grandpa then?"

Kurt shrugs. "It's important to me that you guys like each other."

Hubert smiles and pulls Kurt into a hug. "This must be serious then? Did you put him in that locket I gave you?" Hubert asks in a whisper. Kurt's cheeks, already rosy from the cold, redden further. He doesn't answer, because he doesn't want to say 'yes', but cannot lie to his grandpa's face by saying 'no'. Hubert laughs at the obviousness Kurt exudes. "Thank you, Squirt, for sharing this with me. I love you and I'm glad you found someone to make you happy." He says in a regular voice.

Kurt turns back to give Blaine a teary smile. The look Blaine is giving him back makes Kurt's heart fall that much farther for him. Kurt reaches for him and in no time is wrapped in a cocoon of love from the two most important men left in his life.

One afternoon of board and card games in the assisted living center with Hubert and a few other elderly people later, Kurt and Blaine are pulling up to Blaine's house for dinner with his parents. Had Blaine felt this nerve-wracked meeting his family today, because Kurt thinks he might puke he's so nervous. Blaine had been so amazing and gotten on so well with his family that Kurt is certain he can't live up to that amazingness.

Blaine's house is big. Kurt knows that Blaine's family, like most of the Dalton boys', are well-off; but, he hadn't really appreciated what that meant until he was walking in the front door. It's not a straight up mansion like Thad's; but, it is unnecessarily large for a family of four, especially considering the two sons don't actually stay there often. It's also very elegant, looking like a home straight out of a magazine.

"Mom! Dad! We're here!" Blaine shouts.

A woman as elegant as the house comes gliding out into the grand foyer. She's older but clearly takes good care of herself; she's beautiful. Gleefully calling his name she pulls Blaine into a tight hug. Blaine hugs back, Kurt can see the joy he has as he has to lean down a little to be level with his slightly shorter mother.

They pull apart a few moments later and Mrs. Anderson turns to Kurt. She says, "You must be the famous Kurt that's captured my Blainey's heart. I'm his mother, but you can just call me Pam." She says.

Kurt shakes her hand. It takes an extra second, which feels way to long, for him to greet her with words. "Yes. Hello Mrs. Ander-er- Pam." He gets out.

She smiles forgiving at him and he mentally breathes a tiny sigh of relief. But he's not out of the woods yet. As he recalls, Blaine's dad is the one who struggles more with his son being gay. "Well you boys can come take a seat at the table, we're just waiting for Theodore to get home from the office."

The 'table' is an expertly carved and polished slab of mahogany long enough to fit at least 12 people around it. The chairs are matched to it perfectly in their elegance; the one at the table's head being even more ornate than the others. Only four plates, of the finest china Kurt has ever seen, are laid thereon. Mrs. Anderson, as Kurt refuses to think of her as 'Pam' inside his own head, sits in the chair to the right of the head. Blaine will sit across from her, but first he chivalrously pulls Kurt's chair out in the spot next to his and lets his boyfriend sit down. The little end of the table they take up has several silver platters covered in matching silver covers laid across it. Everything is glistening and expensive; Kurt is a little overwhelmed.

They wait about ten more minutes with minimal conversation for Mr. Anderson to arrive. He's unexpectedly tall with blue eyes and has none of the Asian complexion of his wife and son but otherwise shares many similar features to Blaine: his bone structure, nose, mouth and dark hair neatly gelled to his head (though not as overly so as his son's). He struts in and both the other Andersons stand up to greet him. Kurt follows, unsure if he should. Mr. Anderson apologizes for being late, citing, "difficulties at the office" and greeting each person in turn. "Darling" He kisses his wife. "Blaine" he hugs him. Then he turns to Kurt. "And you must be…" there is an extra beat as he tries to come up with the right name. "…Kurt? Right? Blaine's b-boyfriend." He stumbles over the last word and awkwardly offers Kurt a hand to shake.

Kurt's answer is no less awkward. "Y-yes, Mr. Anderson, sir. I am. Blaine's boyfriend. Kurt Hummel." He shuts himself up and stops shaking his hand.

Mr. Anderson just nods and back up to take his seat. Everyone else sits along with him.

Kurt's mentally chastising himself for sounding so stupid. Blaine's left foot hooks itself around Kurt's right. Kurt glances over and Blaine is smiling and winking at him slyly. All together it gives Kurt the courage not to just run out of the house and hide forever.

The food is served and the only sound heard after that for quite a while is the sound of utensils hitting plates.

Finally, Mrs. Anderson breaks the awkward silence by asking Kurt some questions. "How did you two meet?" and "How did you two get together?"

As the boys answer her questions, Kurt becomes more and more comfortable. Laughter and chatter fills the room as Mrs. Anderson reacts to their stories and tells some of her own. Kurt very much enjoys hearing about Blaine as a little kid, though Blaine is mortified. It's all going smooth; at least until Mr. Anderson's eyes catch Kurt and Blaine's linked hands on the table.

Kurt isn't even sure when that happened but he can feel the heavy stare of Mr. Anderson on them. The space quickly returns to awkward when Blaine and his mother notice as well. Kurt and Blaine don't move their hands; that link becomes their source of comfort in the silence that follow through the rest of the meal.

Kurt and Blaine don't stay long after dinner, not that they would want to at this point. And the goodbyes at the door are strained. Mr. Anderson shakes Kurt's hand again. "It's good to meet you Kurt. You seem like a good guy and my son really seems to l-like you." he says stiffly as Blaine hugs his mother goodbye.

"Thank you for having me." Kurt responds politely.

Mrs. Anderson is warmer with her goodbyes; and while she is shaking his hand he can hear Blaine's farewell to his father. The two men are hugging and through Mr. Anderson only whispers Kurt catches the words. "I'm trying."

"I know, Dad. Thank you." Blaine quietly returns as they separate.

"I love you, son."

"I love you too."

With that Kurt and Blaine walk out the door. The smile on Blaine's face is small but genuine; it makes Kurt think. Blaine had been right about his parents not being as overjoyed as Carole; but, what had just happened in there clearly showed that his parents did care and wanted to be happy for him. Even though they don't understand it, they're doing their best to. As Mr. Anderson had said, they're trying.


	37. Reflection

_Hello to everyone reading this. I know I promised this to be a lighter chapter, and in comparison to the next it is, but there is still quite a bit of angst in here. It is accompanied with fun and romance._

 _I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please leave a review._

 _Dislaimer: I don't own Glee or anything associated therewith._

The end of the month brings Kurt and Blaine back to Lima for the championship football game at McKinley. All week Mercedes has been keeping Kurt up to date on the drama; the football team having to join glee club and then quitting, subsequently being kicked off the football team. Now the team had barely enough players to play. But, Kurt and Blaine had promised to come out and support them even though there was only a slim chance of them winning.

They are walking, hand in hand, across school grounds to get to the football field when they are confronted. A very grumpy David Karofsky comes across them and they find themselves shoved to the ground. "Excuse me?" Blaine demands of Karofsky as the much larger boy moves beyond them. "What was that for?"

Karofsky turns back and shoves Blaine, who had only just got back to his feet, onto the ground once more. Kurt is on his own feet immediately thereafter to push Karofsky away from his boyfriend. "Leave him alone! What is your problem!?"

"Shut up, Homo!" Karofsky hisses and tries to shove Kurt again. This time however, Kurt is ready for him and shoves back. Karofsky glares at him. "I thought Z and I made it clear we like it better when you're not here, Homo. So, take your faggy little boyfriend and get out of here."

"No. We're here for the football game and won't be kicked out by a coward like you." Kurt spits angrily back at the bully.

This time Karofsky grabs Kurt by the scarf and pulls him so they're nose to nose and Kurt's toes are barely touching the ground. "What did you just call me?" he demands.

Kurt doesn't back down at the threatening tone or the obvious size difference. "A coward. That's what you are, right? That's why your out here sulking in street clothes instead of in pads and a helmet on the field. Because your too much of a coward to sing and dance to a Michael Jackson song. Too scared of what everyone will think. Too scared to be called gay. You're weak and pathetic." He spits the words out.

Karofsky tries to scream at him as he shoves Kurt away, but it comes out as more of a whine. Kurt stumbles backwards and Blaine catches him. Together the two boys stand strong in front of the fuming bully. Karofsky tries to knock them over once more but they resist and he stomps off.

As soon as he's out of sight Kurt turns to Blaine and checks him over. "Are you okay?" he fusses.

Blaine grabs the hands dusting off his coat. "I'm fine, baby. Are you? Did he hurt you?" Those honey eyes search Kurt's own glass pair.

Kurt shakes his head. "I'm not scared of him, Blaine. He can't do anything to me. After everything I've been through; he's just not scary anymore." Kurt says.

Blaine frowns mournfully. "He should be. You shouldn't have to deal with anything that makes that kind of harassment feel like nothing. You shouldn't even need to go through that harassment. It's not right."

"I know. But that's my life. And I'll put up with all of it as long as I can keep the good things in my life. As long as I have you and my family and all my friends, I can deal with it."

Blaine's eyes are somber and begging. "You've already lost so much. And more bad just keeps coming. Having me and all these friends can't make up for losing your parents and for what Vincent and Laurette do to you. It's too much."

"Having you is the only thing that makes them survivable." Kurt argues.

"I want more for you than survival. You deserve so much better Kurt."

Kurt doesn't smile but he gives Blaine a soft and loving gaze. "You are right. I shouldn't have to put up with them. But I do; there's nothing I can do to change it. And I can only do it because I have you." Kurt fist's the lapel of Blaine's coat in one hand and uses the other to caresses his caring and concerned boyfriend's cheek.

Blaine pulls Kurt into his arms; the tears in his eyes are heavy. "I wish I could fix it all for you. I wish I could stop all the bullies and beatings. Even if it meant we'd never meet, I would stop your dad from dying if I could."

Kurt's eyes well up now. He tightly clings to Blaine. "Don't say that. I'd give up all I have if it meant I could have my dad back. I would take all the bullies and the beatings if I could be with even just one of my parents again. I would give up all my friendships with the Warblers and the New Directions and- and even having you as a boyfriend." Kurt sobs. "But I couldn't give you up entirely. I need you as much as him. I need you to be my friend, at least. I couldn't… I can't go through all this stuff without you. I don't even want to imagine what my life would be if I'd never met you." He clutches Blaine to him. Having his fears of losing him too spoken aloud hurts more than he cares to admit. How can he be so attached to someone he's only known for a few months?

Blaine pulls back and smiles at him. He wipes away the tears on Kurt's face. "I feel the same way. And I know that no matter how things happened we would still meet each other. Maybe it would have been later, maybe even years later. But you and I are connected, we would have met eventually and become friends.

"Besides all that stuff is in the past; we can't change it. No matter how much we wish we could. We have each other now. And I promise you nothing is ever going to split us apart. I'm not going to leave you; you're stuck with me forever."

Through his tears Kurt gives Blaine a smile of his own. He rests his head against the other boy's. They both close their eyes and breathe each other in. Kurt whispers, "I love you." softly.

Blaine's eyes open. "Huh?"

Startled, Kurt looks at him, "What?"

"What did you just say?" Blaine asks.

Kurt had hoped he hadn't heard it, feeling it's too early to say that, especially when he doesn't know if Blaine's feelings are that deep yet. "I- I said- thank you. For being the best boyfriend ever. And that- that I -you know…"

Blaine is smiling and giving Kurt a curious look. "That you… what?"

Kurt blushes, "Just… just… this…" he pulls Blaine into a deep kiss full of passion to distract him. It must do its job because Blaine kisses back with fervor, upping the intensity of the kiss by holding Kurt's face in his hands.

They eventually break apart and walk, arms linked between them, to the stadium for the game. They climb into the stands and take the seats Carole had saved for them.

They watch in amazement as the glee girls walk onto the field in full uniform. They laugh when all the girls, except Lauren, lay down on the ground during every play. They cheer when Tina scoops up the ball and runs for the end zone. Then freeze when she's tackled; Kurt's sure his heart doesn't beat after that until Mike helps Tina to her feet. The first half goes pretty horribly but, it's enjoyable anyway.

Then the halftime show is incredible. All the football players, except Karofsky, are on the field and break into creepy choreography as Santana burst out the first lines of the song. Kurt and Blaine dance along in the stands. Kurt is not impressed when Karofsky runs in halfway through the song, only joining when he sees that no one thinks his teammates are losers; because that isn't courage, it's just shallow.

The second half of the game goes much better. Chanting 'Brains' with everyone and making the quarterback on the other team fumble is fun and results in the Titan's winning.

All the McKinley students and fans rush the field. Kurt meets up with the glee girls; they hug and jump around, cheering and screaming. Blaine joins them and twirls Kurt around. It's complete chaos for a little while.

The celebratory mood is ruined though when Karofsky and some of the other football players refuse to let Kurt and Blaine come to the afterparty. They invite all the current Members of the glee club but viciously snarl that "Fags aren't allowed." Which results in a fight between the New Directions and the Football players. Santana, being the ruthless bitch and loyal friend that she is, chases them away with threats. "We'll just have our own after party." She determines.

Carole volunteers her house and promises she'll make them all some treats. So, all fourteen kids pile into their cars and drive over there. They turn on some music and dance until they collapse.

The straight couples share kisses of varying heats during the dancing and after. As they loosen up and gain the confidence Kurt and Blaine start doing the same. They share short pecks while dancing; and when they sit down Kurt does so on Blaine's lap. He pulls him into a longer kiss with a little added tongue.

Until Mercedes plops down next to them and demands Kurt's attention. "White boy! I have a bone to pick with you." She announces.

"Yeah, Cedes?" He asks confused.

"Yeah. I got on Facebook a couple weeks ago to see you'd changed your status to 'in a relationship' with your Warbler." Kurt's following but not understanding. "But you didn't tell me personally!" Oh, that's what's wrong. "I want the full story."

"Uh, sorry." Kurt mumbles. "I didn't know what to say. I thought the status change would be enough."

"No. I need details." Mercedes insists. "First off when did this happen?"

"New Year's." Kurt says.

Mercedes mouth drops and she exclaims. "You've been dating the man of your dreams for a month and didn't tell me?!" Most of the others turn to listen in at her screech.

"I was a bit busy... spending time with my new boyfriend." Kurt says. Blaine slips his arm around Kurt's waist.

"Wanky." Santana comments.

"Not like that!" Kurt rebukes. Blaine and the other guys laugh. Kurt swats Blaine and the Warbler kisses his cheek.

"Yay! Kurtie's got himself a dolphin!" Brittany cheers.

"A what?" Blaine asks.

Kurt leans into his ear to whisper, "She means you're gay and you're mine. It's just the way Brittany talks." Blaine just nods, still looking a little confused.

The couple get many congratulations from the New Directions. There are many serious questions and also lewd jokes directed towards them. It takes too long for Kurt to get the attention off them. Carole comes to the rescue with Hot Pockets, popcorn and sodas for the hungry bunch of teens and the conversation turns elsewhere.

The tv is on but it's mostly serving as background noise until a commercial comes on that makes Rachel scream in happiness. "Oh my God, he's gorgeous!"

The others turn to see who she's talking about. The commercial is for some credit rating website and there is a gorgeous man on screen singing the jingle. He's got dark hair and tan skin. "Wow" Kurt breathes. The girls mutter their agreements.

Beneath him Kurt feels Blaine deflate. "He's not that cute." Blaine mutters.

"Are you kidding me, Blaine? Are you seeing him?" Sam says.

All the girls, Kurt, and a few of the boys watch entranced by the beautiful man on screen. Blaine, on the other hand, buries his face in Kurt's shoulder and groans mournfully. After coming out of his attractive-actor-induced-stupor, Kurt notices how miserable his boyfriend truly is. He turns around to straddle Blaine's legs and draws his face up to look in his eyes. "Hey, it's okay, Honey. He's cute; but, he isn't anywhere near cute enough to take me away from you. I'm yours."

In the background, Rachel scoffs and makes some stupid comment. Kurt ignores her though and gives Blaine a deep and convincing kiss. "Don't get jealous. You're the only one for me. You promised you'd never leave me and we'd never be split. And I'm promising it back to you." Blaine melts and pulls Kurt into a possessive kiss.


	38. Captive

_Disclaimer: Lets get this out of the way. I don't own Glee. Which might be a good thing._

 _I don't know how to introduce this chapter. I am sorry. Brace Yourselves._

 _Trigger warning: Brutal physical, verbal and emotional child abuse, probably on the level to be called torture._

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cote. It's been lovely. I'll see you again in a few weeks; and I'm thinking we should be able to the discuss full custody transfer then. Goodbye." Ms. Newton says and walks out of the apartment.

Obviously, things had not gone any better for Kurt this time around than any other. Ms. Newton had not spoken a single word to him in her very short visit. She had not given him a private interview as she is supposed to and had completely ignored his presence. This had suited Laurette and Vincent very well as they could spew any lies to her without Kurt being able to get an argumentative word in edge-wise. Now she was gone again and despite the fact that Kurt hadn't had a chance to say anything against them he was sure he would still be receiving a beating.

Laurette has barely closed the door behind the social worker before Vincent's fist knocks Kurt clean off his seat. Then Vincent is on top of Kurt's shocked form holding a hand across his mouth before any noise of complaint or pain can come from him. That hand stays in place muffling Kurt's voice while Vincent continues to pummel his fist into the small boy's side. By the time Laurette walks back into the room to announce Ms. Newton's departure Kurt's torso is already bruising.

Laurette stops in her tracks and smiles at the sight before her. Vincent seeing her stops his abuse and releases Kurt's mouth. "I couldn't wait." He grumbles in his deep, tenebrous voice.

"I know Vinny. You've been looking forward to this all week." She purrs, strutting over to him. She kneels beside them and drags her sharp finger nails across Kurt's face. "I completely understand. Those screams, those tears, and that blood last time; seeing the brat in such pain is addictive."

Kurt shudders at her words, her fingernails, and from the weight of Vincent sitting on his chest.

"Well, feel free to join me if you'd like, Pet." Vincent says. Laurette smile is more than accepting of his suggestion.

So, Kurt is pulled to his feet and held to Vincent's chest as an offering for his demented wife. She steps up and balls her fists. Vincent coaches her through how to throw a proper punch and she gets plenty of practice on Kurt.

Eventually Vincent has enough of not participating and drops Kurt. Kurt by now is too sore to move much so it is rather easy for the two sick criminals to keep up their assault on him.

Kurt tries to be as unreactive to the pain on the hope that they'll grow bored and he can get out of here. However, the two seem to have an insatiable appetite for the violence and keep going long after he'd hoped it would end. Perhaps doing it together, they find plenty of joy in it regardless of his reactions.

As the time goes on and on Kurt can feel his face start to swell; the ripping of his lip when Laurette's ring catches it; and the creaking of his bones in protest to the battering.

He barely conscious of the world around him when they finally stop. Laurette's words reach him through the haze in the most terrifying way. "He looks awful; and though it is delightful we cannot send him back to school looking like this. The people there would get suspicious. We can't have people asking questions, it would jeopardize our chances of getting full custody. We'll have to keep him here until he looks a little better. I'll call the school in the morning and tell them he's sick."

"You want to keep him here? What the hell are we supposed to do with him? Nurse him back to health? Take care of him?" Vincent asks incredulously, as if it's the worst idea he can think of.

"We'll throw him in his room. I don't want to deal with him either." She says. "We'll give him some food and bring him out if we want to have some more fun with him."

Vincent only seriously considers the last part of her statement. "It would be nice to have him close by to take my stress out on at the end of the day."

Kurt's trembling on the floor listening to them come to an agreement. Being as silent as he can he tries to crawl away. But Vincent catches him before he's moved six inches. He pulls his aching body up to sneer in his face, "How does that sound to you, Smudge?"

Kurt can't do anything but whimper for his pain and fear. He really just wants to go home; home to Blaine. That face, that name is the thing he holds tightly to in order to make it through this ordeal.

Laurette and Vincent laugh and he gets dragged to his closet-room and tossed inside. Laurette swipes his phone sometime around then as well. The door slams and locks behind him. He breathes a shuddering sigh of relief when their footsteps move away. He waits a few hours, gathering himself up, before trying to get out. The door is immovable. He collapses on the bed after a few minutes of trying, his small energy reserves expended. Kurt runs his best memories of Blaine through his head to retain his sanity while resigning himself to being stuck in the closet for the night.

Much to his surprise, most of Monday is calm. He's just locked in the closet. He can here them walking around the house. They stop in front of his door occasionally and Vincent multiple times asks if he can hurt Kurt again, yet; Laurette doesn't let him.

They don't come in until late in the evening. Bringing with them a sandwich and handful of chips on a plate for dinner. He doesn't get a chance to eat it though as they prioritize their own amusement by way of terrorizing him. It's another beating much like last night's, only they aim less at his head and face. They taunt him with vulgar names and with the long list of phone calls he's received from 'Blaine', 'Nick', and 'Jeff' since last night.

He repeats his boyfriend's name and photograph in his head as he spends a second night locked, terrified in the closet.

Laurette's plan from the day before of letting him heal up a bit doesn't extend to the following days. Kurt is awoken early in he morning, far earlier than he likes after the late night before, by a stinging slap to his face. His morning is filled with less hits and kicks than the last two days but far more insults and taunting.

Kurt has not yet spent three nights in a row here; so, being locked in for a third time that night freaks him out. The two Cotes, more often Vincent, had made recurring trips to his room all day. Now, he's suffering from three days of untreated injuries. Horror consumes his mind to the point that he's laboring in vain to hold onto the slightest glimmering memories of happiness he once knew; those memories seem so far away. He wants- he needs to get out of here; back to the one who cares, back to…? Blaine! Back to Blaine.

After he thinks they've both gone to bed, Kurt attempts to get out of the closet-room, using the fork he'd been given with dinner to pick the lock. Ever so slowly, to keep the hinges from squeaking, he pushes it open. His ribs oppose even his gentle limping down the hallway as he tries to remain silent. He's almost to the end of the hall and the entry way to the apartment itself when a door squeaks open behind him.

Vincent steps out of their bedroom, yawning. His sleepy demeanor changes in a blink when he catches sight of the frozen in fear Kurt. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he booms. Kurt flinches and scampers towards the door. Vincent breaks into a run behind him, demanding. "Get back here, you piece of garbage!"

The door is less than five feet away, around the corner, and Vincent is all the way down the hall; so, even with Vincent's faster speed, Kurt is sure he can make it out before he's caught. This hope is far from reality as upon turning the corner to the entry way Kurt's foot catches on something and wrenches painfully. Before he can process what has happened he's sprawled across the floor; his foot pulsing with agony.

Looking down he discovers his foot is caught in some kind of trap for hunting; there are a couple more devices like it scattered across the floor in front of the door. They'd clearly taken precautions against him trying to escape. Kurt can't even get his foot out of the device before Vincent is on top of him.

He sits on Kurt's legs and locks Kurt's head into place with one large arm. The elbow at his throat makes it hard to breathe. "Like my toys?" Vincent laughs. "Small game traps for my hunting trips, nonlethal; because it's much more fun to squeeze the life out of them with my bare hands. And that's exactly what I want to do to you right now. Think I should? You're a useless waste, anyway; just a nuisance I have to put up with. No one would miss you." Vincent growls into Kurt's ear while maintaining a hold on his throat that is just shy of cutting off all his oxygen.

Mere whimpers are all that pass his lips. He doesn't want to die. He just wants to go home. He wants to be safe at home with his dad. He wishes that all of this could be just a nightmare. But the pain and the fear and the tears on his face are far too hauntingly real.

Laurette voice sounds from down the hall, "Vinny? What's going on?" Her footsteps draw nearer.

"This trashy nephew of yours tried to leave without permission."

"What? How did he get out of the room?" She walks into Kurt's line of vision and stoops down to glare at him face to face. He withers under her knife-like eyes. "What are we going to do with him? How do we keep him from escaping?"

Vincent hums in thought. "Get him back to his room and keep him there. I've got a chain gambrel with the rest of my hunting stuff. We'll chain him up so he can't move." Laurette smiles maliciously.

Seeing as Kurt's foot can't very well support his weight at the moment, it is almost no fight for Laurette to drag him back to the closet by herself. She drops him onto the floor on his back and proceeds to kneel on his chest. Her head comes to hover next to his ear and she clutches his hair tightly in her fingers. Vicious words spew from her mouth into his head; insults of the highest caliber. "You're worthless, unimportant. No one cares about you. Even your friends from school have stopped sending get well calls and texts to your phone. They all have more important things to do than worry over you." Something inside his chest breaks at her words; they'd stopped texting and calling? Nick and Jeff and BLAINE? They knew about everything and were just leaving him there without even trying to help with texts? At only two days missed no less? Kurt's weak attempts of fighting fall still as his heart clenches. Laurette smirks satisfied and stops her cruel slurs.

Vincent is back shortly with a device of chains and a heavy-duty hook in his hands. He screws the hook into the ceiling while Laurette continues to hold down Kurt. Kurt lays motionless, not processing the large man's actions. He doesn't start paying attention until he is pulled off the floor and strung up to the chain device by his wrists.

It's rather simple when completed; a metal triangle hanging from the hook in the ceiling with a chain from either side of it. Kurt's wrists are locked in separately to either side. The rings are crushingly tight around his wrists. The chains hang high enough that he's barely balancing himself on the balls of his feet. It's the worst possible angle to hold his probably-broken right foot; so, he has to hold himself up with only his uninjured left. Overall it ends up as painful and restricting as Vincent and Laurette want it to be.

For a few minutes they watch Kurt hang, head bowed, shaking and whimpering quietly. The silence fuels Kurt's fear nearly as much as the words that follow. "How shall we punish him?"

"You don't want to just punch him more?" Laurette responds to her husband.

Vincent shakes his head. "It's clearly not getting the point across. We need something harder. Something to hit him with that will hurt more."

Kurt shakes his head. But they ignore him. "How about a belt?" Laurette suggests, "I've got one with silver diamond studs for a little extra punishment." Vincent nods satisfied.

"No. n-no, please." Kurt mutters and shakes his head harder. All it gets him is a headache as they laugh and leave to retrieve the belt.

The first whip is a surprise of pain; it's worse than he thought it would be; the studs rip small gashes into the skin on his back. Vincent had torn his shirt off to have better access to Kurt's torso. Countless more lashes follow to his back before Vincent rounds him to do the same to his front.

He doesn't stop until an alarm clock goes off from their room down the hall. They leave to get ready for their day and Kurt stays, slumped over so he's only being held up by the chains around his wrists.


	39. Rescue

_Hello my dear readers. As many of you hoped for in your comments this chapter is called Rescue, though it may not come as you hope. Don't be expecting happiness or fluff in this chapter. We've still got some heavy darkness to get through before we get any of that. See you next week._

 _Leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter and this story please._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Glee._

It's Saturday. Kurt had been locked in the closet at for six days now; strung up since Tuesday night. His hands are beyond numb from the very little blood flowing into them. His right foot is swollen to twice it's normal size and his left aches from having had to support all of his body weight for most of 80 hours.

The three days following his first belt whipping had contained more beatings by household objects. The Cotes find it great fun to discover how Kurt reacts to each different weapon. Laurette enjoys using the heaviest objects she can as they inflict larger bruises than she can alone. Vincent, on the other hand, chooses his favorites based on the volume and intensity of his screams; they tend to cause more concentrated damage with each hit and tear skin. Kurt's body is now completely mottled in black and blue with blood dripping from one cut or another at almost every instant.

The first glimmer of hope that his days of terror will stop at six comes late in the morning by the ringing of the doorbell. Being behind a locked door and more than likely concussed means Kurt can't hear the exchange between his tormentors and whoever is at the door. But after a few minutes he can hear the door slam shut behind whoever it was. Laurette then enters his room steaming about something with a sheaf of papers in her hands and Vincent following her. Kurt is unchained from the ceiling and drops to the floor with a cry of anguish. Vincent sighs mournfully, "I'm going to miss that sound."

Kurt doesn't understand until Laurette tosses the papers in her hand down at him. It's a huge stack of homework from this entire week of school he'd missed. She's yelling at him about it. "You had better get that homework done and in by Monday. And if you fail any classes I'll let Vincent go through with his plans for you." She storms out.

Kurt doesn't know what 'plans' she's referring to; but, he really doesn't want to find out. Nor does he know how she got his homework. One thing is clear though, he'll be back at school by Monday. School means he won't be here, he won't be beaten or whipped, and he'll have some control over himself again. He curls up on the floor and cries himself into the first real sleep he's gotten all week out of relief.

He sleeps right through the whole day; floating through an empty darkness. There's nothing around and it's incredibly freeing. He wishes he could never return from it. Regrettably he's kicked awake that night by a sharp stiletto heel and forced to get up.

He's shoved into a gross t-shirt and forced to carry all his homework out with him as he's thrown from the apartment. They threaten him with more pain if he doesn't keep up a good appearance for them while he's away. Then he is left standing alone in the hallway.

It takes him an embarrassingly long time to move. When he does try to move he does so too quickly and ends up on his face. He'd shifted all his weight to his bad foot and had crashed to the floor. Still, he desperately needs to get as far away from them as he can. So, he crawls to the elevator on his hands and knees.

He makes it to and out the front door of the building before collapsing entirely. With the last of his strength pulling himself off to the side. Where he lays in the dirt sheltered by a large decorative hedge. The coolness of the earth beneath him and the darkness of the night lull him. This is a much nicer place to give up than in that apartment.

Kurt's sure this is where he'll die. He'd refused to succumb while in their clutches, couldn't give them the satisfaction. Now that he's out, he can't hold onto that resolve. No one's coming for him; at least if he dies he'll have a chance of being with his parents again.

He lets his eyes close as he waits. In almost no time at all he's being pulled out of his dark hiding spot and light seeps past his eyelids. Warm hands hold him and a dreamy voice calls his name. Both things hold a familiarity he cannot place but knows is associated with love. He opens his eyes to get a look at this afterlife.

He's never believed in Heaven or any kind of after life, but he must have been wrong because the being lifting him off the ground can only be an angel. He's gentle with Kurt and is beautiful; Flawlessly tanned skin, adorable small ears, two moist rosy lips and a perfect row of snowy pearls, handsome bone structure, and glistening golden brown orbs, topped with a swoop of over-gelled curls.

He carries Kurt away from the apartment building and lays him on a soft cushioned seat of… a car? Kurt takes a moment to figure that out. He'd never expect a car to be the transportation to the afterlife. He looks back up at the angel cradling him confused. This time he notices some more details of the angel than before. That swoops of gel and curls is messy. Those glistening golden brown orbs are full of tears and worry. Everything suddenly becomes much more terrestrial.

A voice, also clearly worried, calls from the front seat. "Is he okay?"

Kurt turns to look at the speaker. A brunette-haired boy with a kind and familiar face is sitting in the passenger seat. "I don't know. He's not responding." The angel holding Kurt says.

The brunette shifts his eyes to meet Kurt's. "Kurt? Are you okay? Talk to us." He begs. Kurt takes a good look at him, the angel and the blonde driving the car. He knows them all; and they're all alive. He must be too. Which means he won't be seeing his parents tonight. Kurt bursts into heavy sobs. The angel pets and comforts him, all the way to the school.

It's well past curfew when the four of them get back to campus and they are forced to sneak into the dorms. The brunette calls someone to open the door for him and after the person has left he leads Kurt and their illegal guests in. Getting up to their room on the third floor is slow going and stressful as the others have to carry Kurt up all those stairs; but, they make it without anyone seeing them.

Kurt goes along with everything the others do, limp in the angel's hold. He's very gently placed on his bed, propped up against the headboard. He moans in discomfort but doesn't argue or move. His broken foot is elevated by a pillow. Gentle, somewhat calloused hands gently tug the gross shirt off him. He shivers at it brushing past all his wounds.

Everything freezes around him. "Oh God." One of the boys whispers.

The angel sitting in front of him caresses Kurt's cheek and draws his eyes up to meet his own. "What did they do to you, baby?" Kurt trembles and whimpers as the memories are evoked. The angel rubs his thumbs on Kurt's cheeks and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I'm here, baby. I'm gonna take care of you. Get me a wash cloth, water, ice packs and whatever bandages you have in here." He orders the other two, who are knelt beside the bed, hands clasped.

The angel works tirelessly to clean and tend to all of Kurt's injuries for hours. The warm water is soothing but the wash cloth is abrasive. The few icepacks they have are resting on his foot and wrists. The bandages are also limited. Those get placed first on his back; which the angel takes care of first so Kurt can lay down.

The mattress is so soft compared to anything Kurt had slept on in the last week. The warmth of the angel lying next to Kurt is comforting. He rolls painfully onto his side to press more fully into that loving warmth. The comfort, warmth and love do everything in getting Kurt to drop off into what has to be his deepest sleep ever.

The morning, well early afternoon, comes with a thumping skull and aching body. Kurt stirs in the embrace of his angel. He blinks up at that curl-framed face and says, "Blaine?" in a very hoarse voice.

The honey of his boyfriend's eyes sweetens with sheer relief. "Kurt? How are you feeling baby?"

Kurt groans, sinks his head and whispers, "Do I have to answer that?" He feels the worst he ever has in his life. His entire body hurts. More than that, his heart hurts. It's impossible to put into words how awful his week has been. It's all too much. Honestly, he really would rather be dead right now. Though, he will never tell Blaine that; he still loves Blaine and doesn't want to hurt him.

"Okay. I get it. Nick left some asprin in the bathroom, I'll get it for you." Kurt reluctantly lets him go get the medicine. Blaine helps him sit up to swallow the pills with a glass of water. Then Kurt cuddles up to Blaine, slumping against his chest and holding tight to him.

"What happened last night? What were you doing there?" Kurt asks, stressing the 'there'.

"We waited there all day waiting for you to come out, after Nick went up to drop off your homework." Blaine says.

"Why was Nick dropping off my homework?"

"I was hoping it might make them let you go. We were so worried all week. The three of us; Jeff, Nick and I; had to do something to help you." Blaine tightens his arms around Kurt. It hurts some; but, Kurt allows his boyfriend to give into his powerful emotions for a moment. Blaine must have been really scared for him all week. It doesn't take long for Blaine to loosen and apologies to string from his lips.

Kurt lays down in his lap and pulls his hand to his lips to kiss. "I'm sorry, it must have been the worst sweet sixteen in history."

"Getting you out of that Hell is the only thing I wanted for my birthday." Blaine says.

Nick and Jeff come into the room not long later with some lunch, severely startling Kurt. They are at his bedside as soon as they see that he's awake. They ask him questions about how he's feeling and what had happened all week until he whines and hides his face, which takes all of three seconds. Blaine tells them off not unkindly.

He also tries to coax Kurt to eat the food they brought. Kurt doesn't make it an easy task. Blaine argues that he needs to eat so his body can heal; but Kurt doesn't really care. His body may be hungry, but he really doesn't want to eat. All the same he takes a few gag-inducing bites for Blaine's sake.

Later in the day, after Kurt's had time to bathe and cover up his injuries, Nick retrieves the school nurse to have a look at his broken foot. Inevitably, she asks "How did you break it?" and Kurt has no excuse.

Thankfully Nick comes to his rescue. "He tripped on the stairs. He's been really sick at his aunt's apartment all week and yesterday he was finally well enough to come back to school. So, I brought him back last night, because he was still loopy from his meds. And he tripped on the stairs and rolled his foot bad. It was so late and we weren't sure it was broken so we just came to the room to sleep it off. But it started bruising and swelling really bad and he can't walk on it; so, we came to get you."

She raises her eyebrow curiously at the speed of his explanation. "Are you sure? The swelling and bruising on this indicates it's been broken for at least a few days."

"Yep. Absolutely sure." Nick says quickly. "He couldn't have broken it at any other time, he's been sick in bed all week. Right?"

Kurt nods. "I was very incapacitated."

The nurse doesn't seem entirely convinced; but, as she has no other explanation, she takes it, albeit hesitantly. "Alright. Well, I need x-ray's to be sure... but, I think all I can do for you is give you some pain meds, crutches and a boot. You'll have to wear the boot for about eight weeks. You should only need the crutches for three or four."

"Do I have to get x-rays?" Kurt asks. The nurse looks at him suspiciously. "It's just, I want to just lie in bed. I'm still not feeling all the way better." He gives her his most pitiful, begging frown.

"All right, as you've been sick. We can do the x-rays later this week, capiche?" She consents. "But, you'd better be resting until then. I'll get the boot and such sent up by tonight. Nickolas, you're in charge of his care." She assigns.

The boot is heavy and hot; also, entirely unfashionable, it won't go with anything. The crutches aren't attractive either. But the pain meds do wonders for him. She gave him a full prescription bottle with enough that they should last him a month as long as he only takes two every morning and night; any more would be dangerous.


	40. Pretending

_Hey guys! So my dad recently showed me a Harvard university study that says Trigger Warnings are actually damaging to mental health. To sum it up, trigger warnings 'coddle the mind' and 'if you need a trigger warning you need PTSD treatment'. People need to be able to deal with dark and/or offending things without getting offended. (Also trigger warnings often take the suspense and surprise out of stories) Therefore, I will not be giving any more trigger warnings in my chapters. Just know that this is a dark story and dark things will happen in this last stretch of chapters._

 _Now, who's ready for a birthday party? Well, good because Blaine is 16! But along with it you have to deal with a lot of angst. Hope you like the story. Leave a review please._

 _Disclaimer: At this point you all well know that I don't own Glee._

Kurt's still in a lot of pain and very exhausted on Monday morning. Blaine and their friends try to convince him to take a couple more days off. He refuses; he can't miss school the Cotes will kill him. Laurette had made those threats to him about what Vincent wanted to do to him and he's too scared of what that might mean to disobey them. He forces on a smile and gets up on the crutches.

The fake smile stays plastered to his face through the morning. He works hard to catch up with everything he'd missed in his classes over the last week. He spews the lie Nick had come up with for his broken foot to all his classmates and teachers who ask. He obediently eats the wrap and juice Blaine makes him get for lunch. Everything is back to normal; or at least going back to normal.

In Physics, David and he are working on a resonance lab experiment and worksheet, when David breaks Kurt's hazy form of existing with an important announcement. "Hey, Kurt. Blaine's sixteenth birthday was on Saturday, though I'm sure you know that, and he refused to do anything while you were still out sick. But, it's his sweet sixteen and we think he should do something to celebrate. So, a bunch of us, his close friends, want to throw him a little party tonight. You guys don't have something else planned for tonight do you?"

Kurt hasn't thought about anything of the sort. Shouldn't he, as Blaine's boyfriend, be planning him a big party? Or at least have gotten him some superb present? He shakes his head.

"Great. We're gonna do it in the Warbler's hall. We'll get everything set up; Wes' got balloons, Jeff's picking up the cake. All we need from you is to distract him this afternoon. Keep him away from the Warbler's hall until 5."

"Okay." Kurt agrees. David pumps his fist and sets off to text Blaine's friends.

So, Kurt gets to spend the afternoon pretending some more. He has to whip up a nice present really quickly. He has to keep Blaine occupied for a few hours without letting him know about the party or his own state of exhaustion and depression.

Unfortunately for him, Blaine picks up on his pain and tiredness very quickly. Luckily, he's more than willing to just lay down with Kurt and relax. They put on Moulin Rouge and Blaine lets Kurt doze in and out on top of him, running his fingers softly through Kurt's hair.

Kurt gets awoken shortly after five by a text coming in on his phone. He moves rather quickly, making himself dizzy in the process, to snatch up the phone before Blaine can. No matter how crappy he feels he does want this to be a fun surprise for Blaine. Sure enough, it's from Nick telling him they're ready for him to bring Blaine down. He shoots a quick "We're coming" text back and goes for his crutches.

"Kurt? What's going on? Where are you going? The movie isn't even over yet." Blaine asks.

"Not me. We. C'mon. We need to get to the Warbler's hall." He says.

"Why? We don't have rehearsal tonight."

"Just come. Please?" Kurt doesn't have to even beg or pout. He looks pitiful enough without any extra effort. Blaine cedes easily.

They stop at the grand entrance. Despite Kurt's wishes that he could throw the doors open for Blaine, it's too difficult when he's struggling enough to stay on his feet with the crutches. Blaine has to push through them on his own.

"SURPRISE!" a simultaneous shout echoes around the room. Blaine jumps and blinks at the gathered group of boys, the decorations strung up everywhere and the pile of presents. "W-wha…?" Blaine stutters.

Kurt steps up behind him and whisper in his ear. "Happy Birthday Honey!"

Blaine blinks his doe eyes at him. "When did you guys plan this?"

Kurt nudges him forward and Blaine lets him in the room before following. There's pizza and chips and other treats covering one table, the cake is displayed on another. Balloons cover the floor, which Blaine immediately runs around kicking up into the air. Kurt takes a seat on a loveseat near one corner and watches Blaine enjoy his party.

Blaine eats snack, chats with all his friends for a few moments each and spends a while dancing on the furniture before joining Kurt on the love seat. He brings with him a plate of food for Kurt, for which he thanks him. "This is amazing, baby. How did you guys put this together so fast?"

"They did it. I just had to distract you for the afternoon." Kurt says.

"Well you did a very good job." Blaine kisses him. Kurt presses his lips back to Blaine's shortly. Blaine pulls back with a curious gaze. "You okay?"

Kurt nods and lifts the corners of his lips. "Yeah. Fine. Go enjoy your party."

"PRESENTS!" Jeff yells across the room. "Open the presents!" Blaine kisses Kurt's cheek and walks back to the rest of the party.

Blaine de-bags and unwraps his pile of presents. Some of them are really cool, some are funny gag-gifts. Kurt can't help but notice how cute Blaine is when excited. By the end he's got a small pile of new bowties and three hats stacked on top of his head, lots of new cds and a few other random things.

The loveseat Kurt's on becomes his stash spot, Blaine piles his stuff up there.

"I have a present for you, too." Kurt says, before Blaine can walk away again. Blaine smiles and takes a seat. Kurt pulls a little box from his pocket and hands it to Blaine. Inside is a handmade bracelet of amber and apatite beads.

"Kurt, it's beautiful." Blaine pulls it out and looks at it. "The blue beads look just like your eyes."

"I picked the amber because it reminds me of you; your eyes are that honey color. And the blue is like my eye color. I thought it could remind you of us."

Blaine's eyes go all soft and puppy like. "You are amazing. I love it. I'll wear it every day." He promises. Blaine slips the bracelet onto his wrist and kisses Kurt gently. "Thank you, Baby."

"Of course." Kurt forces a tired smile.

He's entirely worn out by the time the party ends. After the cake and ice cream, the party had gone on with games and dancing. It ends when Blaine comes back over to him and finds his nodding off on the armrest of the loveseat. He laughs lightly before picking the sleepy Kurt up; who startles awake in his arms. "Shh, Baby. Let's get you to bed." He coos. "Hey, guys! Party's over. Nick can you grab Kurt's crutches?"

Nick, Jeff, Wes and David help carry all Blaine's presents, Kurt's crutches and the leftover cake to the dorm; the last of which goes to the fridge in the kitchen. Then Nick joins Jeff in the other dorm room the four of them seem to now share equally. Wes and David each go to their respective rooms.

Blaine lays Kurt in the bed and helps him change into one of his dad's flannel shirts and a pair of sweat pants. He lays the blanket on top of Kurt and makes sure he's comfortable before changing himself and joining him in the bed. Kurt slips easily from his forced numbness to full sleep.

Not so many hours later he comes to thrashing in the arms of his angel as the gorgeous boy begs him to wake up. The darkness is heavy on his chest and he struggles to breath. Phantom belts whip across his skin painfully and he can feel the imprint the cast iron pans leave in his skin. The angel's doing his best to hold him still; but, Kurt can't help from shaking violently.

He's crying, maybe screaming but he can't hear himself over the ringing laughter of his tormenters. He twists and wrenches but can't get away. He's being held down; the chains. His wrists ache. He begs them to stop, to let him go; but, they just beat him harder. He'd thought he was rescued. He'd thought he escaped. It must have been a fantastic dream and now he's woken up back on his personal Hell. It doesn't take long until he's literally begging for death.

It's the begging he hears first and makes him realize that he's not really there. He'd never begged for them to kill him, he would never let them have the satisfaction. The dorm room comes into focus around him. His angel's, his Blaine's, voice telling him he's okay, pleading with him to breathe and to talk to him. He tries to obey but breaks down in tears.

Kurt curls up into Blaine's arms, gasping his boyfriends name.

"Kurt? Baby? Are you okay?" Blaine fusses.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. Just a nightmare." Kurt mumbles. "I'm okay."

"That was not just a nightmare." Blaine reproves. "That was some kind of panic attack. Were you having a flashback? Did you think you were back there?"

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm not there. I'm here. I'm okay. I'm with you. I'm okay." Kurt repeats.

Blaine watches him repeat his mantra. He nods and pulls Kurt to him. "You're with me. You're here with me. You're safe." He assures.

Kurt nods and repeats the words. Tears drip down his nose and fall onto Blaine's chest. Blaine cradles him safely and lets him regain his breathing.

"You alright?" Blaine asks.

"I'm fine."

"Okay. Go back to sleep. I'll be right here with you all night. You're gonna be okay." Blaine promises and kisses Kurt's head.

But Kurt can't fall asleep. He stays breathing slowly against Blaine's collar bone for hours. Blaine doesn't sleep either, Kurt can tell. He's stays awake holding and looking after Kurt. Eventually, he pulls Kurt's face up to looks at him. His eyes are tired and worried. "It's okay. Go to sleep, baby."

Kurt shakes his head. "I'm fine. I'm not sleepy. You can go to sleep. I'm fine."

"I'm not sleeping until you do. I'm not gonna let you suffer through your fear alone. I'll stay up with you until you're feeling better."

So, neither of them sleep that night. Not until the alarm goes off and the sun peaks in through the window. It's that light that finally takes the final edge off Kurt's mind. There are no windows in the closet at the Cote's apartment. He hadn't seen the sun at all in his week trapped there. Finally, the weight of terror that's been holding him captive all night. He breathes in calmly and gets out of the bed. Blaine follows.

The routine monotony of a school day allows Kurt to sink inside himself; locking up in his chest the emotions that make him want to burst. He goes to class and continues making up his work from last week. He plasters on a smile and goes on.

Everything is back to normal. Never mind that food has become flavorless and the color has slowly drained from his sight. It doesn't only not matter that he no longer has a sense of himself anymore, it's actually seems far better that way. He keeps going, doing classwork. He takes the pills for his foot. He hums along his notes in Warblers' rehearsal. It's all normal; he's going through the motions, doing as he should.

Kurt lets himself be completely unaware of the worried looks and conversations about him between his friends and boyfriend going on right beside him at lunch and rehearsal and in their dorm room, whichever they are in.

But, when the night falls again, not even two hours after he'd slipped off in Blaine's arms it all comes back. The panic memories fill his mind for a seemingly endless time while his angel holds him and cries helplessly. He finally comes out of it. Blaine holds him through another long, sleepless night.


	41. Escape

_Um, I'm not sure how to introduce this chapter. There's not much I can say. Writing this gave me all the feels and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have all of you crying as well. It's dark. Prepare yourselves. Sorry not sorry._

 _Please leave a review._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and the song 'Dreams for a little while' is by Vanessa._

The pain medicine Kurt had been given can't dull the pain enough; it can never touch the emotional agony. He goes through the week cutting himself off from it all. He pulls his mind away from his body so he can't feel the aches of the bruises and cuts. He buries the memories, along with everything else, deep in his mind until he's empty and deadened.

Still, it is not enough. Pushing the pain back only works for a short while, then it resurges in great waves.

Blaine is always there when Kurt gets overwhelmed. He's patient and gentle through the panic attacks; and he's tiring out. Kurt can see the exhaustion in him growing with each sleepless night. How long until he gets too tired of Kurt and his problems? How long until he leaves too? This isn't what Blaine deserves in a boyfriend; and surely not what he wants. Kurt should let him go; but, he's too attached.

He can't live without Blaine; Blaine is the only person in the world who can give him any sort of relief. The rest are dead. If Blaine leaves him he'll die. As that seems inevitable, perhaps it is Kurt who should do the leave before he gets hurt again.

With these kinds of thoughts in his head, Kurt ends up sitting on the floor of his dorm room holding the bottle of pain medication in his hands. It's scary contemplating your own death, least of all if it comes by your own hand. But, Kurt feels as if he's run out of options; he can't stay in this world that never stops doing it's best to break him. At least death guarantees him one of two options that are an escape. Either he'll enter some afterlife and be reunited with his parents or there will be nothing on the other side and he'll just stop existing; either way he won't have to deal with the pain anymore.

Unconscious, uncaring, of his actions he unscrews the cap off the bottle. He brings the bottle to his lips and tips it upward. A frantic knocking on his dorm door startles him enough that he spills the pills all over the floor. He scrambles to collect them all again. "Kurt!? Kurt, baby, I know you're in there. Open the door please." Comes his boyfriend's panicked voice.

Kurt looks over to the door he had locked when he'd decided to enact the dark thoughts in his head. He'd left a note to Blaine, in the other boy's room. He hadn't expected Blaine to find it before he had the chance to finish this off. Had he been sitting here fighting with himself over whether or not to go through with this for that long? That doesn't matter now. His timetable has just been shortened drastically. For though Blaine can't get in without Nick's key; he's no doubt going to find a way in a matter of minutes.

Or seconds it seems, as the sound of the door unlocking comes around before Kurt has all the pills back in his possession. Blaine is shoving through the door. Kurt moves to swallow what there is in the bottle; he freezes however, with only a few in his mouth at Blaine's cry at him to stop.

Blaine looks more wrecked than Kurt' ever seen him. His gelled curls are sticking up at weird angles. His eyes are puffy and wide open, overflowing with tears and fear. Crumpled in his hand is the suicide note. He slowly inches closer to the frozen Kurt.

Kurt watches Blaine approach with the bottle still pressed to his lips. Only small gasps of breath escape his open mouth. Blaine stops right in front of him; his warm hand takes a hold around Kurt's, which is around the bottle. "Kurt. Don't." Blaine gasps. "Give me the pills."

Kurt tightens his grip on the bottle. No one, not even Blaine, can take this away from him if it's what he wants. Blaine doesn't make another move; but keeps a steady hold on Kurt's one hand. "Kurt. Please don't." He begs. "You don't want to do this."

Kurt pulls the bottle just far enough away from his mouth to confess, "I don't want to die."

"I know you don't, baby. I know. I don't want you to either. And you don't need to. You'll be okay. You don't have to die. Just give me the pills." Blaine repeats.

"I don't want to die." Kurt gasps. "B-but I don't want to live anymore." He tries but can't raise the pills back to his lips; Blaine's hold on his hand keeps it still.

"You don't want to die. You're hurt and you're scared, but you don't want to die. We can find a way to make it better. We'll get some help. We'll get you out of that house permanently. I'll help you. But, you have to let me. Please, let me. Give me the pills." Blaine shifts his grip to take the bottle from Kurt's loosening hand. "Good job. Thank you. Now spit out the ones in your mouth." Kurt bites his lip. "Please, baby." Blaine traces his thumb over Kurt's lips. Somewhat reluctantly, Kurt opens his mouth and lets Blaine take the gross, sticky and dissolving pills out of his mouth.

Blaine leans over Kurt to grab the waste basket from underneath his desk. He tosses all the pills in the bag, ties it off tightly and throws it across the room. He then comes back to Kurt and kisses his face. "Thank you."

Kurt eyes the garbage sack, already yearning to have the pills back. Blaine caresses his face and forces him to meet his eyes. "Hey. Don't look over there. Look at me. You don't want those. Right? So, tell me what you really want."

Kurt whimpers and reaches one arm slightly towards the garbage bag. Blaine draws his attention back away from it. "I-I…" Kurt struggles to breathe. "I want my dad. I want my mom. I want to be with them. B-but they're dead. I have to die to be with them. I have to die."

The hug becomes more of a wrestle as Blaine holds Kurt back from the bag with the pills. "No. Kurt no. You don't have to die. You don't want to die." Blaine reminds. "And your parents wouldn't want you to die; not yet; you're only sixteen."

"But I want them. I need them!" Kurt cries.

Blaine hugs Kurt tight, pinning his grabby hands down. "I know you miss them. I'm sure they miss you too. But I don't think they want you to kill yourself so you can be with them. Wouldn't they want you to grow up and live a long life, becoming everything you were meant to be? Wouldn't they want you to be happy?"

Kurt wriggles and kicks, trying to get out of Blaine's hold. "I need them. I need someone to love me like they did."

"Carole loves you like you're her own son." Blaine assures.

"No. Finn is more important to her. She doesn't love me like they did. I need someone to love me like them."

Blaine stills for a minute, not releasing the still fighting Kurt. "I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world." Kurt stops struggling to listen to the loving words. "I don't love you like you're my child. Sorry, but, I can't. I love you like a boyfriend should; like you're my soulmate. I love you like you're my best friend. You are the most important person in my life. Maybe you don't believe it. But I'm not just saying it. It's true and I'll prove it to you. I love you. So, please, please stay. Because I can't lose you."

'The most important person in his life'? The numbness Kurt's worked so hard to build over the course of the week shatters in a flood of tears. He falls limp in Blaine's arms at the power of his keening cries. With each gasp of breath, he sputters out apologies and 'I love you's. Blaine hushes him and repeats his own 'I love you's to Kurt as he kisses his hair in relief that Kurt is no longer fighting him.

"I sent Nick to get Mr. Gooden when I got your room key from him. They should be here any minute. Then we can get you the help you need to make sure you're okay." Blaine explains. "Can I sing to you while we wait?"

Kurt nods and climbs into Blaine's lap, snuggling in tight to his body. Blaine cradles him close and sings softly in his ear.

"Darling,

I can see it in your eyes

Oh, I know you're not alright.

Those wounds on your skin

oh, I know it comes from within.

Dance with me;

I'll take you on a journey.

If this is who you were meant to be

I'll still love you.

Ever thought that maybe it's so dark inside

because you let all the colors fly?

I need you here

so please don't say goodbye.

I'll let you go;

But, only to dream for a little while;

Because when you awake we're gonna walk a mile.

As long as the stars

take on the night

oh, I know

everything will be alright.

Those bruises

on your skin.

Oh, I know you didn't eat today.

Dance with me;

I'll take you on a journey.

I'll walk with you through the dark;

this is what friends are for.

Ever thought that maybe it's so dark inside

because you let all the colors fly?

I need you here;

So, please don't say goodbye.

I'll let you go;

But only to dream for a little while;

Because when you awake we're gonna walk a mile.

I know it's hard.

Oh, I know it's hard.

And I hope you escape tonight

But only in your dreams.

No matter the weather,

I will go with you wherever;

We will get through this together;

This feeling won't last forever.

Because the birds still say

that it's gonna be okay

So, please wait for the day

that you are taken away.

Ever thought that maybe it's so dark inside

because you let all the colors fly?

I need you here;

So, please don't say goodbye.

I'll let you go;

But only to dream for a little while;

Because when you awake we're gonna walk a mile.

The world needs you to use those wings to fly.

No, it's not time to say goodbye."

Blaine's singing is not up to his usual standard as he's sobbing throughout the song, clutching Kurt to himself as Kurt also cries.

"Please. Please, Baby. Don't leave. I love you. I love you more than anything." Blaine begs. "Please let me prove it to you. Let me help you feel better."

Kurt can't answer through his shuddered breaths with more than a slight nodding of his head against Blaine's tear-soaked shirt. The two boyfriends hold each other, whispering sweet everythings to each other, until Mr. Gooden walks through the door.

The grown man crouches next to the huddled boys and lays a hand on each of their shoulders. "Boys? Are you two okay?" he asks.

Kurt stays curled up in Blaine. Blaine looks up to Mr. Gooden and shakes his head. "I think we need some help." He says.

Mr. Gooden nods. "We're gonna go talk to the school therapist. Come on boys."

Kurt doesn't like that they have to stand up as it forces some space between him and Blaine. He can't press right up against Blaine as they walk as he has to use the crutches still. Blaine does keep a hand on his back but it's not close enough. He wants Blaine and no one else to see him like this and know what just happened. Unfortunately, there are a multitude of boys outside in the hall wondering and trying to catch a peek. Nick and Jeff are there; though they were more expected. Wes is trying to get answers out of them. Then he's asking Kurt and Blaine when they come out. "Are you guys okay? What happened? What's going on?"

Kurt shies away and Blaine tries to shield him. Mr. Gooden calls over the crowd to move and go back to their homework. He guides Kurt and Blaine down the stairs. He asks Nick to come along as well as he is a witness. They make their way to the therapist's office, Mr. Gooden toting along the note and the garbage bag with the pills.


	42. Love

_Hey guys. I know that last chapter was a doozie but you made it trough and I'm rewarding you this week with a fluffier, feel-better chapter! As you can probably all tell, we're drawing close to the end of this story. This is the last fluffy-relief-amidst-all-the-angst chapter I'll write before the resolution. So, soak it in and prepare yourselves for the end._  
 _Thank you all so much for the reviews. I love hearing from you. Keep them coming._  
 _Disclaimer: I don't own Klaine or anything else glee-related. And Darren Criss/ Starkid owns "Not alone"_

For the first three days after the attempt Kurt had been kept under constant surveillance by the staff and his friends. He's noticed Mr. Gooden himself hanging around more often. It's now the fourth day and he's leaving the therapist's office after his daily meeting with her. Kurt has to go in to see the therapist every day for the first week after his suicide attempt and biweekly after that until the therapist deems him not-at-risk.

Kurt doesn't much talk to the therapist in his sessions. He spews some about missing his parents and hating all the homophobia he deals with but refuses to reveal the truth about his abusive guardians and that they are what pushed him over that edge.

Blaine, Nick and Jeff continue to protest that decision of his adamantly; saying that he needs to get adult help because it has gone way too far and he can't let it go on anymore. But none have, as of yet, broken their promise to him to keep it secret. Though that may not last much longer; Jeff never liked the idea of keeping it secret and knows that he's been one pair of hard pursed lips away from saying something a few times over the past few days. Nick and Blaine are about that level too. It's only a matter of time before one of them tells.

At the end of today's session Blaine is there, as always, to pick him and go with him to lunch. He's been more than reluctant to let Kurt out of his sight since the incident. And while Kurt really does love having him around constantly to assure himself of the good he has to live for, he feels incredibly guilty at how badly he scared him.

Blaine talks about whatever comes to his mind: music, Warblers, homework, etc.; to keep Kurt distracted from the eyes watching him. Rumors had run rampant over the school quicker than his first talk with the therapist, Blaine and Mr. Gooden had gone the day of the incident. Everyone knows he'd tried to commit suicide and thus he is still the talk of the school.

Blaine spiel comes to a point when he really demands Kurt's full attention. "Um… so, it's Valentine's day." Kurt is stunned for a minute; these holidays keep creeping up on him. "But, it's also Monday and you have to go to classes again; so, we can't spend the whole day together romantically. I was wondering if you'd be up for something different."

Kurt raises one eyebrow intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Well, since we've got classes and can't do a grand Valentine's day and you also were being held captive on our first monthiversary, I thought we could do something different. I've got a couple plans for you this week and a big date on Friday night; if you're up for it." Blaine smiles hopefully.

Kurt blushes, "Really? I'd love to." He enthuses. It sounds so romantic; and Kurt loves romance. "But I don't have anything for you." he worries.

"Don't worry. All I want is for you to show up and be genuinely happy." Blaine says. Kurt smiles gratefully; though he totally is still going to find Blaine some gifts too.

Blaine doesn't have any big plans for him today but he brings Kurt flowers in the afternoon and helps him catch up on his homework.

Tuesday, Blaine's first plan comes to be. Kurt is sat down in the middle of the Warbler's hall and they all start singing him songs. They're all songs written to help people who are suicidal or have depression. They're beautiful and nice; but make Kurt feel guilty for having hurt and worried so many people; he hadn't realized how much they all cared about and liked him.

Blaine adds some vocals to the songs but doesn't get up and sing with them. He stays sitting next to Kurt through everyone else's performances. It's not until the end that he takes the 'stage', by sitting at the piano. "Kurt, the guys wanted to do this for you and we all hope you liked it. It wasn't the original Valentine's plan I'd made for today; but, amazingly, it did fit really well with my gift. I wrote this song for you and I want you to listen to it.

"I've been alone,

Surrounded by darkness.

I've seen how heartless

The world can be.

I've seen you crying;

You felt like it's hopeless.

I'll always do my best

to make you see.

Baby, you're not alone,

Cause you're here with me

And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,

Cause nothing can keep me from loving you

And you know it's true.

It don't matter what'll come to be;

Our love is all we need

To make it through.

Now I know it ain't easy;

But, it ain't hard tryin'.

Every time I see you smiling'

And I feel you so close to me;

And you tell me

'Baby, you're not alone,

Cause you're here with me

And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,

Cause nothing can keep me from loving you

And you know it's true.

It don't matter what'll come to be;

Our love is all we need

To make it through.

I still have trouble.

I trip and stumble

Trying to make sense of things sometimes.

I look for reasons;

But, I don't need 'em.

All I need is to look in your eyes

And I realize,

Baby, I'm not alone,

Cause you're here with me

And nothing's ever gonna take us down,

Cause nothing can keep me from loving you

And you know it's true.

It don't matter what'll come to be;

Our love is all we need

To make it through.

Oh, cause you're here with me.

And nothing's ever gonna bring us down,

Cause nothing, nothing, nothing

Can keep me from loving you

And you know it's true.

It don't matter what'll come to be;

You know our love is all we need,

Our love is all we need,

To make it through."

Kurt scrubs at the tears on his face that had fallen during the song. As he can't move well, he beckons for Blaine to come to him. With no shame or fear in front of their fellow Warblers they share a passionate kiss and exchange quiet "I love you"s. By the time they release their holds on each other the rest of the Warblers have cleared off, to give them privacy.

Wednesday, Blaine blindfolds Kurt for the entirety of a long car ride. When they finally come to a stop at their final destination Blaine guides Kurt from the car and into a building; Kurt can tell by the change from cold, fresh February air to artificial heat. There are obviously more people around; he can her them breathing and occasionally shuffling around in the otherwise silent room. Finally, Blaine unties the blindfold from Kurt's eyes and he gets a look around at his surroundings.

They're in Breadstix and all his Lima friends are here.

He gets passed around the restaurant from one hug to the next. All the New Directions tell him how glad they are that he's alive. They express friendship and love. He's never been hugged by Mr. Schue before; it's partly weird and partly nice. Most them react the way he expects: i.e. Tina cries, Rachel is overdramatic, etc. Puck's sincerity, however, as well as the huge hug he picks Kurt up in, is a surprise. Santana too surprises him with her gentleness and sympathy. Finn hugs him and expresses his feelings about Kurt's attempted suicide in his own endearingly awkward way. And Mercedes hugs him so tight and long he's sure she's trying to convince herself it never happened. Carole and his Grandpa are the last in this line of love. She is clearly trying not to cry and be strong for him; but, she spends the rest of the night babying him. His grandpa gives him a fierce look, with much heartache behind it. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Squirt. You have to outlive me by at least fifty years, you hear?" Hubert demands and pulls Kurt in for a minute; Kurt can feel tears soaking his shirt and allows it.

After they've all had their piece of him Kurt gets a chance to take it all in. The guilt of how much he had hurt them buckles his knees; he drops in front of them and sobs, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Blaine, Carole, and Mercedes are with him in seconds, hushing him.

"It's okay baby, it's okay." Blaine promises.

"You don't need to apologize, Sweetie. You just have to tell us if you ever get feeling that low." Carole says. "We just want to know you're all right."

"We all love you Kurt. We want you to remember that. You'll never be alone. We'll always be here for you." Mercedes adds.

It takes a few moments for Kurt to collect himself. "I know. Thank you." he gasps through his dying sobs.

Blaine helps him up and takes him to a booth with Carole, Hubert and himself. The New Directions provide them music while they have dinner.

He curls into Blaine, grateful for the work he'd done to make sure he knew how many people loved him, both at Dalton and in Lima, over the past two days. He's sure this isn't exactly what Blaine wants of a Valentine's week celebration; and honestly, he'd also like these 'dates' to be real romantic dates. But the weeks only half over; there's still plenty of time for romance.

Friday finally comes ushering in the weekend with a relief. Blaine's told Kurt they're going on a picnic for dinner tonight as their date; though he won't let Kurt in on any of the details of his elaborate plan.

So, Kurt dresses comfortably in his warmest coat and fleece-lined pants, because they will surely be out late as they don't have to go to classes tomorrow and it is February. He bakes cookies to contribute to their meal. Lastly, he meets Blaine at his car.

They drive for a while, to a local park, through the snow dusted trees. Once they park, Blaine leads Kurt down a path winding through the trees, they carry along the blankets, picnic basket, a boombox, and the gifts they brought for each other. They come to a stop in a small, secluded clearing in the trees. The snow there is very light and with one water proof blanket and another thick, warm one beneath them they are plenty comfortable sitting on the ground.

Blaine pulls out a thermos of hot cocoa, a larger one of warm soup, and a veggie dip with pita chips. There are two spoons so the boys can share the soup, more often than not feeding each other off their own spoons. They cuddle close as they eat; keeping quite warm together.

They watch the sunset; the last rays refracting through the icicles making glittery patterns through their little clearing.

Aside from Kurt's cookies for dessert, which Blaine is super excited about, Blaine had brought a box of chocolates. He takes a bite of the first and feeds the rest of it to Kurt. Kurt takes it and makes sure to drag his tongue over Blaine's fingers to get all the chocolate off them; and maybe to drive him a bit crazy. Blaine does breathe sharply at the action and gives Kurt a hot, mischievous look. He places the next chocolate in Kurt's mouth and kisses him immediately, his tongue stealing the chocolate. Kurt gasps and pulls back in shock. Blaine is smirking.

Kurt takes the challenge; he places the next chocolate on his tongue and holds it out to tempt Blaine. Blaine, predictably, surges forward. Their tongues wrestle over the treat. The chocolate melts and the nougaty center mixes with their saliva. They share the candy in the tastiest kiss they've ever had.

They repeat this with more of the chocolates. Somehow, Kurt ends up on his back with Blaine over him. Not that he minds; under Blaine is his favorite place to be. The kisses are hot and messy and eventually they forget all about the chocolate in favor of making out.

The sky is completely dark by the time they pull away. The partial moon the only thing giving them light. Pinpricks of stars twinkle above them as they lay panting. "That was hot." Kurt whispers.

Blaine's gloved hand finds his on the blanket and he hums in agreement. "It was awesome. Though not exactly what I expected to happen tonight."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kurt asks.

"I don't regret it!" Blaine assures. "It was absolutely amazing and I loved it. But, I thought tonight was going to be super romantic. Feeding each other, cuddling, dancing- I brought some music so we could."

Kurt's thought it a thousand times but it never ceases to be true; Blaine is adorable. He's acting shy and embarrassed because he's unsure if Kurt likes his plans and Kurt can't help but coo at his puppy of a boyfriend.

Kurt sits up and tugs Blaine with him. "Play that music then because dancing with you sounds like a fabulous plan."

Blaine hits play on the battery-powered boombox. Kurt steps close to him and they wrap their arms around each other. Chest to chest and cheek to cheek they sway and spin to the likes of 'Silly Love Songs', 'Somewhere Only We Know', and other romantic ballads. They dance through every song on the cd and even after the music has stopped.

They return to the picnic blanket and wrap themselves up together as the night air has gotten significantly colder in the last half-hour. "I have one more present for you." Blaine says and pulls a scrapbook from the picnic basket. The first few pages are full of pictures of them from the last few months. "You made me this bracelet for my birthday to remind me of us and I wanted to something similar for you." Blaine says. "We can fill the rest of the pages with other pictures in the future; it's supposed to show you that I'm not done with us yet, we've still got lots to do together."

Kurt hugs Blaine fiercely, "Yeah we do." He says. "I got you a present too."

He hands a bow-wrapped box to Blaine. It holds a fluffy little plush puppy and a soft plush kitten. "I found the puppy online and it reminded me so much of you I had to buy it. It's my puppy-Blaine and I thought I should find something like it for you. But, I'm really not much of a puppy; I'm much more of a cat. So, the kitten is me. It's your kitty-Kurt."

Blaine stares at the plushies in awe and then squeals and hugs them. "They're so cute!" He hugs Kurt too and kisses his face, just like an excited puppy.

They end the night wrapped up in blankets, plushies in held in their arms, cuddled together with Blaine's body draped over Kurt's.


	43. Here not there

_Hey guys! Chapter 43; things are starting to fall apart._ _We're done with fluff and getting into some heavy angst as the truth comes out. Who's curious as to what Kurt's suicide note said to Blaine? Who'll be the next to know the truth? What'll happen if Kurt refuses to return to the Cote's apartment when called? Answers ahead_.

 _I'm so excited for you all to read these last few chapters. I'm sure you're going to love them. I can't wait to hear what you all think of them. Remember to leave a comment; each and every one make my day so much better._

 _Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not the owner._

"Kurt, your dad's been dead for over four months. In all that time since no one has seen any indication that you were suicidal. We've talked with all your friends; they said you were doing fine until the first weekend of February. So, it seems to me something happened a few weeks ago to set you off. Whether or not you were silently having struggles all along with your dad's death and the bullies and homophobia you face, something changed drastically inside you to drive you to that low. I need you to tell me what so we can keep it from happening again. No one wants to see you get hurt, especially by yourself; but, none of us can help you if you don't tell us what's really wrong. What happened?" Dalton's school therapist (he refuses to remember her name) speaks calmly to Kurt.

Kurt sits poised in his chair, chin resting on his propped-up hand on the arm of the sofa, as he semi-listens to her talk. Though he refuses to tell her the truth of what happened with the Cotes, her questions require answers. So, Kurt gives her whatever he can to try and get out of there faster. "I don't know. It just got to be too much. And it doesn't matter anyway; I'm over it; I'm not gonna try to kill myself again. So, can't I just go?"

"No. It does still matter. Even if those feelings have gone away for now doesn't mean they won't return. After all, this isn't the first time you've had suicidal thoughts. I talked to your old school counselor about the beginning of your last school year. She told me about you looking at that suicide pamphlet. Which tells me that those thoughts and feeling are likely to come back again."

"That was a completely different situation." Kurt argues, none too happy with Miss Pillsbury for having shared that information again.

The therapist perks up somewhat victoriously at his defensive response. "Really? It's completely different? How? Were the feelings last year not brought on because you were being bullied by the homophobic football players? And because you friendless and lonely?" She leads and he tries not to react. "Isn't that almost exactly like what you've told me this time was about? Homophobes and bullies and feeling lonely with your dad gone? So, tell me, what's so different about this time?" She leans forward in her chair, closer to him.

Kurt glares hard at her for a second before schooling his features. She's trying to get a reaction out of him, he knows; she's told him he has to let out whatever he's feeling inside, even if it is by anger, because with it the truth will come out too. And that is the last thing he wants; so, he has to keep a tight control over his emotions. "It just is" he says.

She looks disappointed now. "Okay. Then let's move on." She says and backs off. "Let's talk about the suicide note you left for Blaine." What does she know about that? He wonders. Until she holds up the crumpled note. "You know Headmaster Gooden took this when he came to get you that day? He gave it to me hoping it would help me help you."

"That's private." He nearly growls.

"Yes. It seemed so when I read it." She says. "And, while I don't want to invade your privacy when it comes to your relationship with Blaine, I do need to know what your private mind was thinking at that time so I can understand why you acted he way you did. And as it's the only letter you left, it's all I have to go on. So, lets read it shall we? Maybe together we can get some answers from it."

Kurt refuses to look at her as she reads his own words back to him. " _Dear Blaine, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I'm writing this letter and that you have to read it; because I know it's going to hurt you badly. But I also know that what I'm about to do is going to hurt you badly either way and I thought giving you this might help make it hurt less. I-I love you, Honey._ " Her voice fades out shamefully and she seems truly guilty for having to read something so intimate as his love confession to Blaine. She skips the rest of that section but the words still echo is Kurt's head ' _I love you, Honey. I've known for a while but was always too scared to tell you. But I need you to know. I love you so much and…'_

She picks up there. "… _I don't want to leave you; but I can't do this anymore. I can't live with it all anymore. With all the crap I go through. Not with Ms. Newton's stupidity. Not with Laurette and Vincent-_ " Kurt knows his writing had broken abruptly there. He couldn't write it down and knew Blaine wouldn't need it written anyway. " _I can't handle always losing everything I care about. I can't lose anything else; especially you. But, I know it's only a matter of time before I do. And I can't take it. So, I have to be the one to leave. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm going to go find my parents. Love, Kurt."_

Tears trickle slowly down Kurt's face. The therapist watches him intently. "So, Kurt, what do you think this letter tells us about what was going on in your mind?"

Kurt glares at her and, pushing himself up with his good right foot, snatches the letter from her grasp. "This is private. You had no right to read it." He grabs his crutches from where they're leaning against his chair and walks away.

As she is not burdened with crutches she catches him quickly. "Kurt, stop. Come sit back down. Tell me what your aunt and uncle have to do with this. Who is Ms. Newton and what does she have to do with this? We still have much to discuss."

"No, we don't. Just leave me alone." he requests with a thick voice and pulls away from her. She lets him go this time but watches him closely as he exits and walks down the hall.

Kurt finds Blaine in his room and falls into his arms. Blaine is surprised by this and questions why Kurt is out of his sessions so early. Kurt fists the suicide note tightly in his hand and hisses about her having read it and trying to use it to make him come clean about everything.

He rants and cries until his phone interrupts him. He can't breathe when he pulls it out to look at the caller id. Blaine snatches it away and hits the deny call button. It starts ringing again. Blaine denys it again. Over and over the cycles repeats, until it rings for what feels like the millionth time and Kurt snatches it from Blaine and answers. He doesn't even say anything as Laurette spits nasty insults down the line at him. He grips tightly to the phone and Blaine. "Ms. Newton has the papers for full custody done up. She says we can do it all tonight, so you need to be here in an hour."

Vincent's voice fills his ears then. "Be a good little boy and do as you're told or the next time I see you will be the last time you see anything." Kurt whimpers and shakes miserably.

Blaine manages to wrestle the phone out of his grip and hang it up. "Shh, it's okay baby. Don't listen to them. You're not going back there. They aren't ever going to touch you again. I'm not going to let them. You're here with me. You're safe."

Kurt clings to Blaine and tries to fight off the flashbacks. Chains hold him and belts whip in his mind and it's all he can do to hold on to Blaine's voice. "You're not there. You're never going back there. You're staying here with me. I'll keep you safe. I'm here. I love you. I'm right here and so are you. Focus, baby. Breathe, you're okay." Kurt sucks air in random difficult gasps like he's drowning. The flashbacks have gotten shorter and easier to get out of over the past couple weeks; Blaine is able to pull him out of them rather quickly. But this one is not as easy as those have been.

Kurt finally comes down in a trembling exhausted heap on the bed. Blaine is pressing him gently into the mattress; the obvious reminder that he's there relaxes Kurt. They hug and hold each other. "You're not going there. Tonight, or ever."

"They'll come after me." Kurt whispers hoplessly.

"Then stay here. If they do come to the school, they will only have access to your dorm room. But, they won't find you there. The school cannot give them my room number even if you are in here. They won't find you." Blaine promises. "I'll protect you."

"Okay." Kurt says. "But, Nick and Jeff have to stay here too. If Laurette and Vincent find them in there and they don't tell them where I am they will hurt them. I can't let my friends get hurt for me."

"Okay. I'll text Jeff. The four of us will have a movie night in here. It will all be alright; you'll see." Blaine says.

Nick and Jeff show up with some of Kurt's stuff to comfort him and a bunch of movies. All the boys get in pajamas and curl up on Blaine's bed, Kurt sheltered on both sides by his boyfriend and roommate. They watch a few movies and Kurt slowly calms down. He's laughing and slipping into sleepiness when there's a loud knock at the door.

Kurt's wide awake immediately and tense as can be again. A loud and not real happy sounding voice is calling through the door. Blaine holds Kurt close and says. "It's okay. You're safe. It's only Wes."

Kurt's panic isn't totally stemmed and he watches anxiously as Jeff gets up to answer the door. A grumpy Wes and David stand there. Kurt's muscles sooth some at the sight and under Blaine's massaging hands. "Sheesh guys! Way to scare the crap out of Kurt!" Jeff chastises.

"What do you mean?" David asks but Wes' indignant shriek overrules his concerned questions. "You guys are having a party without us!?"

"It's not a party. Kurt's having a bad night so we are trying to keep him distracted and calm. And they you come in and send him back into a panic." Nick says.

"I'm fine." Kurt argues quietly. They ignore him.

"Well, why weren't we invited anyway? Why can't we be here for him too? I thought we were all friends, a group! We used to do everything together but lately the four of you have closed ranks! Cut us out! What gives?!" Wes demands.

David puts a hand on Wes' shoulder. "Quiet down, Wes. What do you guys mean; we sent him back into a panic? How did we scare him so badly?"

Jeff and Nick glance towards Kurt guiltily and don't say anything. Blaine is still comforting Kurt, not paying them any attention.

"What are you hiding from us? What can't we know what's going on?" David asks upset. "You guys have been leaving us out of things. We know you know more about Kurt's suicide attempt than anyone else. And maybe it's because you share rooms with each other's boyfriends but, we're still your friends too. So, please tell us what's going on."

"We can't." Nick says.

"Why?!" Wes asks.

"We promised Kurt we wouldn't. He doesn't want anyone to know; not even us. We found out by accident and he had to tell us." Jeff says.

"So, everyone gets the details but us? We know something is going so why not just fill us in? You can't trust us with this secret?" Wes yells, grabbing everyone's attention. Nick, Jeff and Blaine all look away hurt and ashamed. Kurt feels awful that he's ruining their friendships. "After everything we've been through together? Some friends you are!" Kurt cuts of Wes' rant.

"My aunt and uncle beat me!" Kurt bursts. "Is that what you want to hear, Wes?! You want to know the truth. That I get punched and kicked at whipped by the people who're supposed to be taking care of me! That they broke my foot and tied me up and almost killed me! That they- they-" The memories flood his mind.

Blaine pulls him down from his aggressive position on his knees and holds him underneath himself. "It's okay Kurt, it's okay. You're not there. You're here with me."

"What's going on?" David asks, much more subdued. "Is he okay?"

"Don't touch him!" Blaine yells defensively. Kurt's panic-addled mind takes it wrong and he panics further. "No. Shh. Baby, I'm sorry. It's okay. It's not them. It's David. They aren't here. They won't hurt you. You're safe. You can feel me, I'm on top of you, protecting you. No one's hurting you. You're safe."

Kurt listens and moves his hands over the body on top of him to make sure its Blaine. The fact he can move his hands at all helps him feel better. The chest pressed to his is the one he knows. The hands holding him are his angel's. The soft curls between his fingers belong to his puppy of a boyfriend. The warm hazel eyes are his Honey's. The soft lips repeatedly pressing to his face are his favorite. The mixed scents of coffee and raspberry are distinctly Blaine. All of it put together is home to him.

"Blaine! Blaine!" He gasps.

"I'm here. It's me." Blaine assures.

"What was that?" Wes asks, very subdued.

"Kurt, are you okay?" David follows.

Kurt whimpers and cuddles into Blaine, still leaking tears. Blaine kisses him. "I'll explain it to them. You can go to sleep. I'll stay with you all night."


	44. Intruder

_Hello! Oh my goodness guys! I can't believe we've finally reached this chapter; I've had this one planned out since the beginning. I'm not going to say anything else except that I really hope you all like it and it about time!_

 _Please leave a review. I love hearing what you think of the story and your wishes for the future of it._

 _Disclaimer: Fox owns everything Glee._

Blaine had been right. Neither Laurette nor Vincent had shown up in the night to hurt him. Kurt is relieved and finally relaxed. Currently he's in his own dorm room, organizing his closet and catching up on his moisturizing routine that he's neglected too often this month. For the first time in what feels like ages, he's alone and focused entirely on his clothing. At this moment, he's safe and he feels safe.

Somewhere below him, sounds like it's coming from the first floor, a racket erupts; many voices are yelling and screaming. Kurt turns startled. It must be a prank someone tripped, Kurt thinks though his pure peace bubble is permeated by a small worm of doubt. It's fully popped a moment later by a frantic knocking on his door. "Kurt! Kurt?" Thad, of all people, calls through the door.

"Come in." Kurt responds from his spot on the floor.

Thad, panicked and out of breath, slams the door behind them as soon as he's in the room. "Kurt! You have to hide. We have to get you out of here." Thad exclaims at him.

"What? Why?" Kurt asks.

Thad grabs him and pulls him to his feet. "Crap! You can't out run him on crutches. How're we gonna…?"

"Thad? What are you talking about? What's going on?" Kurt stops him both in his words and his searching tugging of Kurt around the room, that Kurt can't keep up with hopping on one leg.

"Um… I'm not 100 percent sure but there's this huge, very scary guy downstairs looking for you. And he doesn't seem to care who he hurts to get to you. Nick and Jeff were trying to keep him downstairs and he literally picked Jeff up and threw him into a wall."

"Oh my God! Is Jeff okay?"

"I don't know, Nick was taking care of him. David told me to come warn you." Thad says.

"A big guy? Disgusting greyish hair and eyes the color of evil? Tattoos of weapons all over his arms?" Kurt asks desperately hoping the man downstairs is not who he suspects. But when Thad answers affirmatively to all Kurt's questions he knows he's right and he just about faints in fear. But at that moment, Vincent's voice booms through the hallway and closed door.

Kurt has to keep himself together. He can hear other doors being thrown open down the hall and other boys screaming as their rooms are invaded. Kurt can't let Vincent hurt them all to get to him. "Thad. Get in my closet." He orders.

"What?!" Thad exclaims. "It's you he's after, you should hide."

Kurt shakes his head. "Just do it. I can't let him hurt you."

Thad reluctantly complies asking "Who is he?" as Kurt shuts him in the closet. Kurt jams the closet doorknob closed with his desk chair as an extra measure.

Then Kurt goes to the door. Gathering every ounce of courage he can he pulls it open. "Wrong room Troglodyte!" He yells out. "I'm down here, you deplorable idiot." It's does the job of getting Vincent's attention. The large man comes dashing out of the room three down from Kurt's and glares at Kurt in his doorway. Kurt lets Vincent just catch a small glimpse of him before pulling his door shut swiftly and turning the lock. Heavy footsteps stop outside it almost simultaneously and the doorknob jiggles fruitlessly.

"You, worthless piece of trash!" Vincent bellows and start banging on the door. Kurt knows it won't hold against him for very long. So, he drops his crutches and crawls under his bed. The heavy door gives in and slams loudly in the room. Vincent stalks into the room. "Where are you, little freak?"

Kurt watches his feet as he moves around. He stops in front of the closet and kicks the chair out from under the handle. "You think I'm stupid? You can't put the chair in front of the closet door if you're hiding inside of it!" Vincent says. Kurt smirks victoriously; Vincent had fallen for his trick and wouldn't be looking in the closet. Thad was safe.

Vincent moves slowly, surprisingly quiet for such a big guy. At least, he's quiet when he's not kicking Kurt's crutches. "So, that trap break your foot, did it?" He laughs maliciously. "Well then, you couldn't have walked any farther that this point where you dropped 'em. I guess you must have crawled." Vincent drops to the ground and it takes no time at all for him to spot Kurt under the bed.

Kurt can't stop the terrified screams from leaving his mouth as he's dragged out by the steely grip of Vincent's hand. He's pulled to rest right underneath Vincent's towering frame. "Where the hell were you yesterday!? We were so close to having full custody but we couldn't finish the paperwork without you there!"

"Good! I don't want you to have custody!" Kurt yells back in a moment of bravery and stupidity.

Vincent's fist comes smashing into his face. He can taste blood in his mouth already. "You're going to pay for that!" He threatens and throws another round of punches.

He stops long before Kurt expects him to and stands up. He doesn't let Kurt crawl away or even curl up, though. He grabs his broken foot and lifts it up to his face; so Kurt is hanging upside down. He unstraps the boot and rips it from his foot. His fingers probe Kurt's foot until he finds the damaged bone and he presses into it forcefully until Kurt's screams break and he can't breathe through the pain.

Vincent cackles excitedly at that and drops Kurt onto his head. His neck cracks painfully and he holds it while regaining his breath. Vincent gets on the floor next to him and mutters viciously to him, "Aww. Does your neck hurt, brat? Let me fix that." He wraps one huge hand around Kurt's throat and lifts him up as high as he can.

Kurt chokes pitifully. Blood dribbles from his lips and tears pour from his eyes. Vincent brings him uncomfortably close to his face. Kurt can feel his hot breath on his face. "I'm not going to stop this time. I'm not going to let go. I'm going to kill you, slowly. I'm going to watch the life drain from you with elation." He says.

Kurt can't get a scream or any kind of noise past the tight grip crushing his trachea. He tries to fight but his limbs soon become too heavy without oxygen. Even his eyelids can't stay open. Vincent doesn't let go. He doesn't move at all. Just watches Kurt slowly die and procures his sick sort of pleasure from it.

More heavy footsteps echo in Kurt's ears just before he loses consciousness fully. Yelling voices and struggling sounds swim in the shallow darkness. He's pulled back from that darkness by making hard contact with the carpeted floor. He gasps in sharply and then greedily repeats the processes rapidly taking in as much as he can get, coughing for the pain each breath causes his throat.

All of the sudden, someone is there, picking him up of the floor and telling him to breath. The voice is that of an adult male and it's caring. The man is careful with him but persistent. Kurt pulls his eyelids open. Mr. Gooden holds him and reassures him, coaching him into slower, deeper breaths.

The headmaster also keeps himself between Kurt and the three men wrestling on the ground; Vincent and two school security guards. Kurt whimpers and hides himself from his would-be murderer. "It's okay Kurt. He won't hurt you anymore, they've got him." Mr. Gooden assures. "We need to get you out of here? Are you okay to move?" Kurt shakes his head.

Mr. Gooden picks him up and carries him from the room. More security guards have cleared the area outside his door and are holding back the hoard of curious and scared boys. "Kurt!" Kurt picks Blaine's relieved voice from the throngs and looks around until he spots his anxious boyfriend. Mr. Gooden moves in that direction and has the security let Blaine through. Kurt is transferred from one pair of arms to the next and Blaine cradles him close.

They get sat, with a personal security guard, next to the wall quite a way down from Kurt's room. "The police are coming. I'm going to go oversee everything. But I'll be back to talk to you later." Mr. Gooden tells the boys.

As he stands to leave though, Kurt is struck with a memory and clutches imploringly at his leg. Mr. Gooden kneels back down and tries to reassure Kurt of his safety. Kurt shakes his head, it's not his safety that this is about, and manages to get out the words, "My closest" in a rough rasp.

Both Mr. Gooden and Blaine look at him confused. "Your closet?" Kurt nods but can't speak again for the coughing fit trying causes. "Okay." Mr. Gooden says and goes back to Kurt's room.

Kurt curls into Blaine and Blaine holds him close, showering him in affection. "What's so important about your closet?" He asks.

Kurt tries to respond but the words are garbled and broken. Mr. Gooden reemerges from the room with a shaking Thad under his arm. Kurt points emphatically in their direction. Thad is brought to them and drops down at their side. "Kurt! You're okay!" He exclaims relieved.

Kurt nods and hugs him. "You?" he rasps.

"I'm okay." Thad says. "That was scary, but I'm not hurt. You sound like you need some water."

"That's a good idea, Thad." Mr. Gooden agrees and sends someone to fetch one.

"What do we do now?" Thad asks.

"Right now I'm going to take you all down to have the EMTs check you over. The police are going to take that man away from here and then we're all going to sit down and talk about what happened here today. The police are going to have to interview everyone so they can get the whole story." He looks directly at Kurt with his last words.

The three boys are escorted down to the first floor of the dorm hall, where the EMTs have set up a station to check over all the students. Many of them have minor injuries; Jeff and Nick included. Jeff has some pretty nasty bruises forming on his shoulder from being thrown into a wall; but, he assures Kurt that he's okay. "Are you though?" Nick asks. "Your voice sounds awful and your boot is gone. What did your uncle do to you?"

"That guy is your uncle?" Thad asks.

Kurt doesn't answer; he burrows miserably into Blaine as much as he can as he's looked over. His foot is re-booted and he's given two pills to take for the pain, he's still not allowed to have more than that in his possession at any time. "Alright, Dear. You definitely have a concussion, and it appears to be compounded. Have you gotten a different concussion any time in the past few weeks?" the EMT asks.

Kurt hides himself further, but Blaine bends down to whisper in his ear. "It's over Kurt. You can't keep any of this secret anymore. It's time to tell them everything."

Kurt looks up at Blaine's serious gaze and knows he's right. It's nerve-wracking but he nods his head. "I think so. It wasn't ever diagnosed, but probably."

The EMT looks curiously at him. "Why didn't you get it looked at?" she asks.

Kurt sighs. "That's a really long story."

"Well, we want to hear it all, son." A police officer says, he's just walked into the conversation, along with Mr. Gooden. "Tell us everything."

Kurt lays his head on Blaine's shoulder in shame. Blaine whispers to him. "No more secrets. Vincent got caught red-handed; he's going to prison. But, Laurette won't if you don't explain everything. She may even get to keep custody of you."

Kurt grips Blaine's hand tightly and nods. "Can we talk about this somewhere more private?" He asks the officer.

The officer nods; he, his partner, Mr. Gooden, Kurt and Blaine, whom Kurt had insisted come along, convene in Mr. Gooden's office. With much difficulty and prompting Kurt tells them about Laurette and Vincent, the abuse, and everything else that had happened in the past few months. Blaine shows them the pictures he's collected of Kurt's injuries. The officers are attentive and take notes along with recording the whole story on a tape-recorder.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Mr. Gooden asks.

"I didn't know what to do. Ms. Newton never listened, she never did anything about it. And I begged Blaine and the other guys not to say anything." Kurt says.

"All the same, they should have." The officer says.

Blaine cowers in shame. Kurt holds him. "It's not his fault. It's mine; I'm sorry. I was too scared. I didn't know what to do."

"That's why you should've told." Mr. Gooden says. Kurt and Blaine huddle together, guilty and crying. "But, there's nothing we can do about the past. We know now; so, we're going to help you now."


	45. Newton's Third Law

_Hello! This chapter is called Newton's Third Law (Brownie points to those who get the joke). I hope and am sure you'll all enjoy this chapter; I've been looking forward to this as much as all of you. The retribution isn't quite as epic as I wanted but I still think it came out quite good. Also Carole!_

 _Please leave a Review. I broke 200 last chapter and could not be happier._

 _Disclaimer: I don't know why I have to keep putting these up. Obviously I don't own Glee or I wouldn't be writing this story on this site._

"We've sent some other officers to your aunt's place to bring her in. And we've called the state's social service department; the department head himself is coming to deal with this." Officer Aidez tells Kurt.

They're at the police precinct now; Kurt, the Officers Aidez and Myers, Mr. Gooden and Blaine. The officers have been making calls, working with the information and evidence, and taking care of everything for Kurt; they've given him plenty of assurances over the past hour that everything is going to be alright. They'd even let Kurt call Carole; so, she was on her way too.

All the while Kurt and Blaine sit cuddled in a chair. With only a few uncomfortable looks from some of the other people in the precinct. Nobody asks them to get off each other and there are no slurs against them. Kurt can barely believe it's all real.

The first person not an officer nor from Dalton that joins the group is a business man in his fifties with a smart look about him. Kurt recognizes him before he introduces himself to the rest of them as "Emmit Wynne, the Head of the State's Social Service Department."

Officer Myers shakes his hand and introduces himself and the other four. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course. Now tell me everything." He requests.

As he tells the story again, Kurt can't decide if it's easier or harder the second time around. He's still holding on to the fear of telling he's had for months. Then again, the relief he got from the first telling was unlike anything he's experienced hitherto now; and this telling is likely to have the same effect. These people can and are actually doing something about his plight. But, that doesn't make the words less painful.

When Kurt's finished his story Mr. Wynne asks him a few clarifying questions and then pulls his phone from his pocket. "Ms. Newton…Yes… I'm at the Westerville police precinct, I was called in for a case concerning one of the children under your care… Kurt Hummel… Nothing. It's not him that's done something, he was attacked… Yes, I need you to get over here as quickly as possible… This takes precedence. Bring his file… As quickly as you can." Mr. Wynne's voice is clipped and commanding during the phone call.

"Why are you making her come here?" Kurt asks, his lip trembling.

"To fire her." Mr. Wynne replies. "From what you've told me of her behavior over the past few months, she's broken a lot of the department's rules. More than that, she's broken quite a few laws. She's probably going to be arrested too."

"Yes. Her part in this whole situation makes her as guilty of child abuse as your aunt and uncle. She'll be arrested." Officer Aidez agrees.

Kurt stares amazed at them; because, really? Can it be that all the people responsible for his plight are going to jail? Kurt's never that lucky. This has to be some kind of good dream. What else could make this better?

Fittingly, Carole comes rushing in at that moment. Blaine helps Kurt stand and Kurt falls into her worried embrace. She fusses over the bruises on his face and neck. "I'm okay." He says in his raspy voice, which does nothing to assuage her worry.

"You sound horrible. What happened, sweetie?" she asks.

"Long story." He says.

Officer Myers interrupts them, "You are Carole? The woman Kurt called earlier?" he asks.

"Yes. Carole Hudson. I was his father's girlfriend." She shakes each of the men's hands when they introduce themselves. She hugs Blaine and then returns her hold to Kurt.

"Please have a seat." Officer Myers invites. Kurt sits back on Blaine's lap and keeps his hand clasped to Carole's as she sits in the chair next to them.

"Mrs. Hudson? You were the other person that wanted to take Kurt in after his father's death, correct?" Mr. Wynne asks.

"Yes." She replies.

"Are you still willing to?" he continues.

"Yes. Absolutely." She replies without hesitation.

"Good. He should be able to go home with you tonight."

Carole's surprise matches Kurt's own. "What of his aunt and uncle?"

Officer Aidez answers her. "He's being immediately removed from their care. We have received plenty of evidence that they've been abusing him."

Carole gasps. "They what?" She turns to Kurt, "You never told me that."

Kurt looks at her apologetically. "I didn't want to worry you; I didn't think there was anything you could do about it."

She hugs him. "Oh, Sweetie. You should have told me. It's my job to worry about you." He nods and hugs her back.

"We have a team out to arrest Mrs. Cote right now. Mr. Cote is already in our custody." Officer Myers informs her.

"How did all of this happen? If Kurt was keeping it a secret how did you all find out? And why is Kurt covered in bruises?" Carole asks.

"Mr. Cote came to Dalton this afternoon and attacked Kurt. Our security officers subdued him and saved Kurt. And when the police came to question him about it he, with a lot of encouragement from Blaine, told them about it." Mr. Gooden says.

It's a good thing they didn't go into details, because just that short summary has Carole in another fit of fussing over Kurt. Though he's not as annoyed as he would be if it were almost anyone else; it's Carole, she's like a second mother to him and she's has every right to be worried. Plus, it makes him feel loved. And that motherly love she gives him acts as a great source of comfort and strength when Ms. Newton finally does show up.

The mere sight of her instigates all the negative feelings of hatred and fear in Kurt. Much to his relief he doesn't have to say anything to her and she doesn't get the chance to greet him as Mr. Wynne gets straight down to business and confronts her. He takes the file on Kurt she'd brought from her and flips through the pages, scanning each one. When he's finished he looks up at her with a stare so hard she stiffens and makes a clear effort to be as professional and respectful as she can. "Yes, sir? Is something wrong?"

"Yes. It appears that everything is exactly as Mr. Hummel described. Which means there is quite a lot that is wrong. However, it will all be sorted out shortly. Starting with this: You're Fired." He replies plainly.

"E-excuse me?" She balks.

"You're fired. You don't work for the state anymore and never will again. Your office will be cleaned out and your things turned over to the police for you to deal with when you get out of prison in…" he looks to the officers.

"… likely a few months. Depending on the severity of her involvement, up to a few years." Officer Myers answers.

"Um- Clarification please. My involvement in what?" Ms. Newton demands.

"The Cote's abuses towards Kurt." Officer Aidez says.

"The what?" She asks looking frightened; which greatly lightens Kurt's spirits. She knows what they're talking about and also knows she's been caught in her negligence to the fact.

"The abuse that Kurt was subjected to under the care of the Cotes; of which we know you were fully aware, as Kurt's testimony and your own notes provide ample evidence that you were given the information on multiple occasions." Mr. Wynne says. "You're fired for your failure to properly document the things you were told and your failure to investigate the home and fostering couple more thoroughly. It was your job to make sure Kurt was safe and cared for in that house. You are supposed to have those interviews with him and take these notes to get an understanding and documentation of how he was doing in the home. But, you only really got the Cotes' perspectives on things. No one abusing a child would ever tell you about it; they'd want you to think everything was alright. By failing to do your job correctly, especially in the case of the child telling you of such things happening, you've made yourself guilty of Child Abuse."

"I've never abused him or any other child! I would never!" Ms. Newtons argues.

"Child abuse is a crime that encompasses a variety of behaviors involving any kind of mistreatment or neglect upon a child. State child abuse laws define child abuse as any purposeful act, or failure to act, that results in imminent risk or serious harm to a child's health and welfare. In failing to act to protect Mr. Hummel from his abusers while having the knowledge of the abuse you have committed Child Abuse and are therefore going to face the criminal trial and charges thus due." Officer Aidez says. "Now. Ms. Newton, if you'd please come with me we can get this settled more easily."

It's an unusual type of soothing for Kurt to see the fear on Ms. Newton's face as the officers read her her rights and escort her away. For his wrongs to be avenged so quickly and simply. Not even the angry glare she sends his way right before she disappears can ruin it for him.

He breathes a loud sigh of relief. Everyone else turns to look at him and smiles at the relief painted all over his face. Blaine hugs him tightly and presses kisses to the back of his neck. He leans his head backwards onto Blaine's shoulder. Carole squeezes his hands. He draws them close to himself. It's incredible; being with his loved ones while his tormentors are being taken away.

"What do we do now?" Blaine asks.

"We'll wait for our team to bring Mrs. Cote into custody before we let Kurt leave." Officer Myers says. "And Mr. Wynne, I imagine, will take care of the custody situation to get Kurt placed with Mrs. Hudson."

The words he speaks reminded Kurt of their prior conversation. "So, I get to live with Carole now?" Kurt asks.

"Yes. I'll personally see that you're put in her care." Mr. Wynne promises.

"But Ms. Newton said she wasn't even eligible to be a foster parent." Kurt questions confused and not entirely trusting that this can be true.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Mr. Wynne asks. "You have a good job, don't you Mrs. Hudson?"

"Yes. I'm a nurse at St. Rita's Medical center in Lima." She says.

"You don't have a criminal background." He pursues.

"No."

"And you want to take him in?"

"Yes"

"Then there's nothing that can disqualify you. Mr. and Mrs. Cote had priority because of blood and marital relations to Kurt. The higher pay and the fact they're married would have been advantages as well; but, those things aren't requirements. And that Kurt wants to live with you makes you a far better choice than looking for a married couple with more money. We just need to run a background check and take a look at your house to ensure its safety. Kurt is as good as yours. You can even adopt him if you'd like."

She smiles and pulls him to herself tightly in delight. Kurt hugs her back; inwardly jumping for joy. Outwardly, trembling with dripping eyes as the long-time pent-up fear is released. Carole and Blaine hold him and the realization that everything is falling into place hits him.

It's unbelievable. All his problems righted in one day? All the bad stopped just like that and flipped into the best possibility imaginable? That can't be possible.

Whether the universe is agreeing with him or punishing him for having those pessimistic thoughts, the punch line comes quickly thereafter. The team of police sent to arrest Laurette show up, empty handed. "She wasn't there. It seems she left the place in a rush. Must have known she'd been exposed and ran."

Kurt's heart stops. Blaine pulls him close. "You didn't get her?" he asks.

"No." The officer says. "But we will. We've already got people out looking for her."

"B-but she's still out there? She could be coming for me?"

"We're not going to let her get to you. We'll protect you, Kurt. You'll be okay." Officer Aidez promises. "Go home with Carole for the night. We'll have an officer stationed outside the house. Nothing is going to happen. Your aunt is not going to get to you."


	46. Going home

_Hello! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's got a little bit of everything: Warblers, New Directions, Kurt+Mercedes friendship, Niff+Kurt friendship, Klaine, Carole, Laurette, and of course more Klaine. Though not in that order._

 _Please leave a review!_

 _Disclaimer: I obviously still do not own Glee or it's characters._

It all happened as quickly and exactly as Kurt was promised. By the morning after Vincent attacking Dalton, he and Ms. Newton being arrested, and all the rest, Carole is officially Kurt's guardian. He's living with her and Finn; and he's being transferred back to McKinley.

Carole can't afford to keep him enrolled in Dalton, even with all the scholarship help Mr. Gooden offered. So, Tuesday is Kurt's last day at Dalton. He packs up his half of his and Nick's dorm room, returns his key and says goodbye.

Warbler's rehearsal is the hardest. His leaving is the first announcement Wes makes. The whole room holds a heavy air. Kurt gets stood in the middle and every other guy takes a turn to say goodbye to him. He gets numerous hugs and a huge group hug from everyone before they all disperse to do their homework. "We'll see you at regionals!" Thad says as he walks out.

"Be prepared to lose! Just because you're our friend doesn't mean we'll go easy on you!" Wes adds.

Jeff and Nick linger longer to give him some more personal farewells. "I'm gonna miss you, roomie." Nick requests. "Don't be a stranger. At least remember to call sometimes."

"Yeah. And you are always welcome to come hang out at my house." Jeff adds.

"Thanks guys. Don't worry; this isn't the last you've seen of Kurt Hummel. I'll be around." Kurt promises. "And, if this one doesn't let go I may never leave." He jokes and indicates to where Blaine is clinging to him.

Blaine responds by squeezing tighter. "Then I'll never let you go." He says. They all laugh.

Nick and Jeff take their leave a few minutes later, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone. Kurt turns in Blaine's arms so they are nose to nose. "Honey, I love you; but I actually do need to get going. Carole is coming to get me and drive my car for me."

Blaine whines. "No."

Kurt rolls his eyes affectionately and pulls Blaine up into a heated kiss. He runs his hands over Blaine shoulders and arms and tries to get him to release him. Key word being 'tries', as Blaine quickly catches on and retaliates by holding tighter and pushing Kurt down onto a couch, pining the older boy underneath him and murmuring a "No" against his lips. Kurt laughs and gives into a short-ish make out session.

"I'm going to miss seeing you every day." Blaine says later when they're packing the last of Kurt's things into his car.

"I'm going to miss you too, so much. I'm going to miss waking up with you and falling asleep with you and being able to kiss you every hour of every day." Blaine sullenly curls himself into Kurt. "But it's not the end of the world. We will still see each other all the time; after school and on weekends. I'll come out here or you'll come see me in Lima. What's more, I'll text you everyday and call you every night."

Blaine looks up at Kurt with a pout on his soft lips. "You promise?"

"Yes."

Blaine smiles. "I love you."

"I love you too." They kiss and Blaine finally releases Kurt. As Carole drives the car, Kurt watches out the back window, Blaine runs after them to the Dalton gates and stays there waving and blowing kisses until he's out of sight.

The Hudson's house has only two bedrooms: Carole's and Finn's; and seeing as it's been proven that Kurt and Finn can't share a room, Carole has turned one corner of the basement into a makeshift room for Kurt. It's not big and glamourous like his old basement or his Dalton dorm had been, and it will certainly take some getting used to, but Kurt is grateful to just be in a safe home with people he loves.

On the plus side, it's a complete blank slate and he can decorate it however he wants. In his free day between being enrolled at Dalton and McKinley he paints the walls and sets up the furniture, he picks out a rug to lay across the cement floor and curtains for the one welled-window and as a privacy block from the rest of the basement. He doesn't have time to unpack everything before his afternoon plans interrupt.

He arrives at McKinley just as the final class bell rings. Smiling and giddy he crutches through the halls to the choir room. Everyone is already inside and Mr. Schue is giving his opening lecture. Kurt knocks on the door frame, drawing everyone's attention. "Kurt?" Mr. Schue asks. "What are you doing here?"

"Spy!" Rachel accuses.

"I go here again." he says. "Well, technically, not until tomorrow. Finn didn't tell you?" he directs his questioning gaze to the tall boy.

"I thought you wanted to surprise them all." Finn defends.

"I did. That's why I came today, because I didn't think you would keep your trap shut about tomorrow." Kurt says.

"Anyway- you're back at McKinley?" Mercedes asks.

Kurt nods. "What happened with Dalton?" Tina asks.

"Nothing. It's just too expensive and far away for me to go there anymore." Kurt says.

"What do you mean?"

"I live with Carole and Finn now. She can't afford to pay Dalton's fees and Dalton is an almost two-hour drive from Lima."

"You live with Finn? Since when?" Quinn asks.

"Since yesterday."

"What happened to your crazy aunt and her douche husband?" Puck asks.

Naturally this had to come up. "It's a long story and I'd rather not talk about it." He deflects.

Still they press him. Kurt refuses to answer and glares hard at Finn to keep him from saying anything. "Guys, leave Kurt alone. It's his private business. He doesn't have to share any of it." Mr. Schue retakes control of the class. Kurt takes a seat next to Mercedes. "We need to keep brainstorming a good song for the Alcohol Awareness Week Assembly on Friday." Just like that the conversation was over; though Kurt's sure it's only for now.

Being with the New Directions is a homecoming of its own sort. It feels so much more right to be sitting in the McKinley choir room than even the Warblers' hall. Despite how much Kurt does love his Warbler friends, he'd missed having girls around and the loose, crazy way of his true glee club. It's a purely fabulous afternoon that lets Kurt really believe that everything is going to be okay from now on.

After Glee, Kurt goes home (to Carole's house!) and brings Mercedes with him. The spend the afternoon decorating Kurt's new bedroom. It's fun and nice and right. Even more so after Blaine shows up claiming "it's been too long" and attacks Kurt in hugs and kisses. It makes Kurt feel so perfectly at home.

The morning comes with lots of primping and prepping for Kurt's first day back at McKinley. His outfit is perfection; black jeans, his white bondage jacket over a black half-sleeve-shirt and grey vest, all topped off with his grandpa's old top-hat. He's fabulous and fierce and ready.

He's confident walking into the school and delights in the faces of shock and anger on the football Neanderthals' faces when they see that he's back. But, seeing as they didn't know he was returning they were unprepared and he doesn't get slushied; though Karofsky does shove him into the lockers a few times. He doesn't let it get to him; feeling too high to be pulled down by that ignoramus.

It only gets better from there. Glee club is so much fun and he gets to sing "As if we never said goodbye" as a solo for everyone. After Glee he walks out to the parking lot with Finn, as the taller boy had given him a ride to school, and finds, to his surprise, his boyfriend waiting for him. "Blaine?"

Blaine doesn't answer; he smiles, picks Kurt up in a hug and twirls him around, nearly causing Kurt to lose his crutches. Kurt giggles and squeals. "Blaine!" Blaine places him back on the ground and Kurt asks. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you. It's been too long since I've seen you." Blaine pouts.

"You were at my house yesterday, Honey." Kurt point out amused.

"That is too long. It's not the same as seeing you at every meal and in class and every morning and night." Blaine whines.

Kurt smiles and leans his head into Blaine's. "I know. I missed you too." He murmurs.

Blaine smiles and closes the little remaining distance between their lips. Kurt kisses back fervently. The kiss stretches on for a few seconds before being interrupted by Finn. "Okay. I'm leaving. You can get a ride home with your boyfriend when your done making out."

Kurt turns an amused glare on Finn as he walks away. "Like I haven't had to watch you and Rachel suck face more times than I can count!" Finn shakes his head and keeps walking. Kurt rolls his eyes and turns back into his boyfriends embrace. "Now, where were we?"

Blaine reattaches his lips to Kurt's. He moves them back so they're leaning against his car while their tongues dance. Kurt is the first to pull back out of need to breathe. Blaine, it seems, doesn't give heed to that need as he just moves his mouth to Kurt's neck instead. Kurt sighs at the feeling and struggles to say, "maybe we should take this somewhere more private."

Blaine just mumbles a 'shh' and continues to lay kisses on him. Kurt can't deny that it feels good and lets himself be worshipped for a minute. He turns his head to give Blaine more room. Until someone standing down the sidewalk a way catches his eye. He stiffens up immediately; Blaine catches it and pulls back, "What's wrong, baby?"

Kurt can hardly breathe and whisper. "It's Laurette."

Blaine's eyes follow the direction he's looking and catch sight of the vile woman. She's glowering and stalking down the sidewalk towards them with intent steps. Kurt can't move.

"Get in the car." Blaine calmly orders, opening the back door as the passengers' is too far away. "Get in and we'll get away. She won't get us. Just get in." he encourages. Kurt tries but is scared stiff so Blaine does most the work on depositing him across the back seat. He slams the door and climbs into the driver's seat. Kurt watches terrified out the back window as Blaine starts the car. Laurette is close; close enough that her fingers touch but fail to grip the back of the car as Blaine pulls out at high speed. He gets them out of the parking lot and leaves her in the dust in record time. Kurt's eyes are still watching intently behind them for any sign of her. "It's okay baby. We lost her. She can't catch up with us. You're safe." Blaine reassures.

They take a somewhat round-about route to the Hudson's house and make it there without any sign of her. Blaine helps Kurt inside and down to his room where they wrap up in a blanket and each other's arms and calm down by reading the new Vogue magazine.

That's how Carole finds them hours later. And Blaine immediately tells her the story. She passes it onto the police and soon they end a team to search the area around the school.

But once again they come back empty handed as Laurette has again disappeared.

Kurt stays home from school the next day, even though there are multiple officer's there watching it and Finn had promised to be his personal body-guard. It's a very boring day and Kurt ends up wishing he had gone; especially after hearing about the hilarious drama of everyone being drunk in their big performance and Brittany and Santana throwing up on Rachel and the stage. And when Finn comes home with the news that there had been absolutely no sighting of Laurette the entire day, Kurt berates himself for having been so scared; of course, she wouldn't show up there again now that it's being watched.

He changes his mind once again though late that night. No one had seen her because no one could recognize her as well as him. He learns this straight from her as she has him held down to the basement floor and is trying to stab him.

Kurt had been sleeping nicely until a scream of rage and a raggedy figure jumps on him after midnight. She knocks him off the bed and they scramble across the floor. The dim light reflects only so he can glimpse the blade of the knife before it slashes his face. And then he's screaming and fighting to keep the knife away and to get away.

As they roll across the floor they knock a good portion of his stuff around. His desk-chair falling on them, in particular, gives him almost a full second to get away. He manages to crawl under the curtain-wall of his room before she's back on him.

He holds her hands up as far away from his throat as he can while she presses down as hard as she can. It's almost an impasse, but she's just slightly stronger and the knife descends towards him slowly. He screams and cries. She yells at him to "Shut up! You don't want to wake Carole and Finny. It would be tragic if I had to kill them too. Especially, considering I owe him for leading me right from that school to you in this pitiful house." she cackles "I only want you. I'll have your head as a trophy for what you did to Vinny!" Kurt whimpers and fights harder as the knife is now only inches from his skin.

It's almost over when he's recued by Mama-Bear-Carole. She pulls Laurette off him with superhuman strength and throws her bodily into the washer. "Don't you touch my boy!" she yells defensively.

Laurette rises and snarls at Carole as she stands protectively in front of Kurt. Laurette looks ready to attack again before all three of their attentions are drawn to the pounding of many feet on the stairs. Finn burst in with the two officer's on duty of protecting their house tonight. Laurette is off and running in a split second, smashing Kurt's window and escaping as the police follow after her. She throws the knife back and they have to dodge which gives her the time she needs to climb out of the well and escape into the yard. The knife lands with a frightening clatter near Kurt and it's the last straw that breaks him down into terrified sobs.


	47. No place to hide

_Hello, again. One more chapter of total angst. Sorry, not sorry. But this is it guys. We're so close to the end I can almost taste it. I'm both excited and a bit put out. It'll be strange to not be updating every week; though I do have more stories planned in the future. Anyway I hope y'all like it and leave a review telling me what you think._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Glee_

Kurt wakes up with a terror-full scream in Blaine's bed at Dalton. After Laurette's attack of the Hudsons' house a week ago the police had needed somewhere safe to stash their family and, as soon as Blaine had told Mr. Gooden about it, the headmaster had quickly volunteered space on campus. They were staying with Blaine in his dorm and Jeff had moved back in with Nick, for the time being.

But Kurt doesn't feel safe. He's woken up every night screaming and crying from nightmares. Everything Laurette had ever done to him played over and over in his head always ending with a knife in his neck. Blaine and Carole are always quick to be there when these occur. To hold him and tell him that 'it's alright' and 'it's not real'. But, he knows they're wrong; the boot on his foot and the stiches in his cheek are far to present of reminder of how real it all is. And, considering Vincent had got in easily only last week being far less sneaky than his wife is, Kurt knows it's only a matter of time before she strikes here. The worst part: here is where his friends are, where Blaine is. Kurt more than anything does not want them to get hurt. He knows he has to leave to keep them from being targeted. But, he has no idea where to go, where he can go, to be safe.

Sleep evades him the rest of the night. Carole stays up with him so Blaine can sleep, he's got classes to go to tomorrow. She's been nothing but patient with him; content to be there for him however he needs her at any time of day. From the moment she fell to the floor that night to hold him while he sobbed and Laurette got away.

Finn is not so much a happy-camper in this situation. He's grumpy from being awoken each night and upset that he can't go hang out with Puck or make out with Quinn. He's restless and spends most of his days outside, playing on Dalton's various, high-quality sports-fields.

The Hudmel family eats in the cafeteria with the Dalton boys for meals; well, mostly Finn and Carole. Kurt finds it hard to eat amid his constant paranoia. He flinches at every noise and anytime someone walks into his vision unexpectedly. He's constantly looking over each shoulder and scanning each room for safety.

Blaine pulls him close during breakfast and feeds him bites of fruit while whispering a mantra of "It's okay" in his ear. Nick and Jeff play a totally platonic game of footsie with him under the table and smile encouragingly at him. They're all with him as often as they can be; distracting him with movies and games and songs. More often that not, however, they're in class, leaving Kurt with too much time to think.

There seems to be no end in sight for the terror; until Friday night. He's in Wes' room with the guys marathoning Disney movies and Harry Potter. The three couples: Klaine, Niff, and the semi-official Wevid (cause David had dumped his girlfriend a month ago after she'd slapped Wes for 'trying to steal her man', and then Wes and David had an awkward conversation about their potential feelings for each other, and had decided to explore them a little) all cuddling on the floor. But, Kurt wasn't really getting into it; so, they stop the movies and instead try to talk to him. It doesn't matter how many times they tell him it's okay he doesn't believe them. and the constant pestering makes him snap. "It's not okay! I have a lunatic murderess after me. She probably knows I'm here and she doesn't care who she hurts to get to me. She'll hurt you guys if I stay. So, it's not safe for me and I'm not safe for you to be around!"

They all stop talking at his outburst looking as scared and confused as he feels. They probably are. That's why Blaine pulls him closer, shelters him in his arms and lays kisses on any piece of him he can reach, because he doesn't know what else he can do.

"If you don't feel safe here, then go somewhere else." Jeff says. Kurt looks at him curiously. "Seriously. You can stay at my house. She'd never find you there. She doesn't know where it is or even know to learn where it is because she doesn't know that you know my parents and siblings. You and Carole and Finn would be safe there. It's inconspicuous and totally unexpected; so, maybe you'd feel safer there." He says.

"Really?" Kurt says after a moment of heavy silence. "Are you sure your parents would-"

"They'll be totally cool with it." Jeff promises.

So, the next day finds Kurt in the back of the Sterling's van with Carole and Finn heading to the Sterling's house to stay for a little while. Mark and Stormie are more than willing in fact quite happy to have them. When they get inside Kurt is surprised to be attacked by the other Sterling children. Julie wants to play twister with him again, while Jake wants to get his opinions on some of the songs he'd written, and Josh is content to just follow him around in whatever he wants to do. They end up playing Sing It! On the Wii since Kurt can't play twister on a broken foot. Then they perform some songs and dances for him and Finn.

Another boy shows up later in the afternoon. With floppy brown hair, a round face, and some serious heart-eyes for Julie. Though, the way she blushes tells Kurt it's not an unrequited crush. The boy's name is Everard Jarrett and apparently, he's the fifth member of J5; because Jayden is not actually in the band.

Kurt gets away from the crazy kids when they go out to play football and take Finn with them by instead joining Carole and Stormie in the kitchen. The two women are chatting like old friends and cooking up some delicious dinner together. It's a real feast when they put it on the table. Which is fortunate as there are ten mouths to feed between the Hudmels, the Sterlings and Everard.

During dinner Kurt watches Julie and Everard steal glances at each other. He leans over to Julie while Everard is distracted by Jake and whispers "You know if you asked him out, he'd say yes."

She blushes and turns to him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mmhmm. So you're not totally in love with Everard?" he teases

She blushes darker. "I-I… No."

Kurt's not convinced. "He's totally into you too."

She flicks her gaze to the subject of their conversation uncertainly, then back to Kurt. "Really?" he nods. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I've seen him watching you all day. You should really ask him out."

She shakes her head. "He'll laugh and my brothers would never let me live it down."

"He won't laugh, unless it's because he's so happy that you got up the courage to ask before he did. And screw what your brothers think. This is between you and him; it's none of their business." She still looks unsure between him and Everard. "If you don't, you might regret it." he adds as a last sales pitch before returning to his plate.

That evening he sits in the front room with a perfect view of the door as Everard leaves. He smiles on giddily as Julie pulls the boy aside and asks him out with a very pink face. They're both awkward and adorable. Everard leaves with an excited "Yeah!" and a quick kiss to Julie's cheek.

Julie freezes in place until he's out the door then time catches up to her and she squeals. She dashes over to Kurt and jumps on him with many thanks, saying, "You were right!"

"Of course, I was. I'm always right." He replies.

"You have to help me get ready for my date tomorrow!"

"Oh, absolutely! We're going to make you look irresistible. And by this time tomorrow, you'll have yourself a boyfriend." He says.

The next afternoon, Kurt and Julie hole up in her room. They spend hours going through her wardrobe to find the perfect outfit and carefully styling her hair and makeup.

Everard shows up right on time and is a perfect, albeit a rather nervous and clumsy gentleman to Julie as he escorts her out of the house. The Sterling boys are teasing and laughing in wonder; but, Kurt shoos them and gives the new couple encouragement to "Have fun!"

Shortly thereafter Kurt's phone rings out the Harry Potter theme song, Blaine's personal ringtone. Kurt moves as quickly as he can into Jeff's room for privacy, flops down on Jeff's bed and answers with a happy, "Hey Honey!"

"Hey Baby!" The enthusiasm of Blaine's reply is clearly forced.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asks, mood swiftly changed from romantic to agitated.

"Um… I… You were right." Blaine manages to say. "Laurette showed up on campus today."

Any feelings of security Kurt had built up since coming to the Sterling's vanishes in an instant. "Oh my god." He whispers.

"She climbed the fence and stabbed a security officer. The police were chasing her around campus for a couple hours and we were all locked in our rooms." Blaine continues.

Kurt can barely speak; can barely breathe. "D-did they-y…? D-did they…?"

"No." Blaine says remorsefully. "She disappeared. But they aren't sure she left campus so everyone is being evacuated for a couple days while the police do a thorough sweep of the school and surrounding area."

Kurt trembles. "Oh my god. Are you okay?" he sobs.

"I'm fine, baby. Everyone is. We're all okay. We're all packing up and leaving. Jeff and Nick should be with you soon. Okay?" Blaine says

"W-what about you? Aren't you coming?"

Kurt tries not to freak out when Blaine says "No." and goes onto explain. "She's seen us together. She knows who I am to you; so if she's going to follow anyone off campus it's going to be me. I can't lead her to you."

Kurt can't complete a full word of protest. Blaine's in danger and it's all his fault. He's not sure what syllables seep out of his mouth in a miserable whine but Blaine is back to giving him reassurances of both their safety in a matter of milliseconds.

The words have too little effect on Kurt's growing panic attack. He needs more than words assure him of their safety. Fortunately, Blaine's been through enough of his panic attacks to know what to do. "Kurt, Baby, where's Carole? You need to go get Carole; she will help you. Get up and find her." Blaine instructs and Kurt, after falling off the bed, crawls his way out on his knees, clutching the phone tightly to his ear.

It's not Carole he finds first, or rather who finds him; it's Stormie. She almost literally trips over Kurt. Then she's pulling Kurt up and asking him what's wrong. He's crying and mumbling; there's a "Carole" in there somewhere which is enough for her. She half helps him limp and half carries him out to the living room to Carole. His foster-step-mom gathers him in her arms and Stormie kicks out her own curios boys, refusing to answer their questions as to what is going on.

Carole and Stormie comfort him on either side, Finn is knelt on the ground in front of them and Blaine is still speaking loving words into his ear by the cellphone.

Kurt tries to answer all their questions but is too freaked out to make much sense so Carole takes the phone to talk to Blaine. Between Kurt's hyperventilated words, Blaine on speaker phone and Jeff and Nick's own explanations when they show up unexpected to everyone but Kurt, the pair of mothers get a firm grasp on the situation.

The house is locked up tight that night. The multitude of people in the house are split carefully into the over crowded bedrooms. Jake stays in Josh and Jayden's bedroom as he had done the past night while Carole, Kurt and Finn get his and Jeff's room, Jeff and Nick stay in Julie's room, and Julie stays with in her parent's room with Stormie. Mr. Sterling, Mark, doesn't sleep at all; he stays up all night with a gun at his side to defend his family and guests on the off chance that Laurette does show up.


	48. It's over?

_Hello loyal readers! We're so, so close to the ending and I promise I'm almost done torturing you. I think you'll all like this chapter; featuring home, happiness and klisses! Leave a review, please!_

 _Disclaimer: It's more than redundant of me to say: I still do not own Glee._

Laurette didn't show up at the Sterling's house in the middle of the night; much to Kurt's relief and surprise. With how effective she's been at following him and getting into places he had been certain she would show. But, then again, she could still show tonight, or the next. He can't let himself feel at ease for a second.

Kurt spends as much time on the couch watching the news as he can get away with. Jeff and Nick don't let him get away with much, though. They keep him involved with anything they can; by having him help them interrogate Julie about her date with Everard, having him teach them to make cookies, and play games with them. By the time the sun sets he's not heard anything about the manhunt (womanhunt?) for Laurette.

He's too stressed to sleep later that night, sitting up in Jeff's bed with Carole trying her hardest not to doze off next to him. He's messing around on his phone, considering calling Blaine, though he's sure his boyfriend is asleep, when, speak of the devil, Blaine's name and number light up his phone. He clicks answer quickly, "Honey?"

Baine sounds tired and… relieved? "Hey babe. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No. I was awake. What's up?"

"Um… good news. The police caught Laurette." Blaine says.

Kurt freezes up for a minute unable to believe or comprehend what he just heard. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. They carded her off a few minutes ago."

"Wait. What? How do you know about it already?... You're not… She didn't…" Kurt tries not to freak out as he comes to the only possible conclusion.

"She came to my house. She followed me home yesterday and broke in tonight, about an hour ago."

"Are you okay? What happened? Did she hurt you?"

Blaine stops Kurt's rant of concerned questions from getting too far. "Baby! Kurt! Kurt, I'm fine. A little banged up; but I'm okay."

"What happened?" Kurt demands.

"She broke in through a window and came after me. She didn't try to hurt me, much; I mean she didn't not try to hurt me but she wasn't really after me. She wanted to know where you were. She knew you weren't here because she's been watching the house all day. But she also knew I knew where you were and so she tried to get me to tell her. My dad saved me and subdued her; though he took her knife to his side. He's okay, now!" Blaine assures.

He goes on talking, with awe now. "You should've seen him. He was invincible; didn't even flinch when the knife got him. He knocked her out and tied her up with duct-tape. Then he made sure I was okay before dealing with his own, far worse injuries. I've never seen him like that; so easy with me and who I am. He was so cool about everything; I thought he'd be angry that being your boyfriend made me a target for her. We've had so much trouble with our relationship since I came out; but, he was so supportive. He made sure I was the one who got to call you to tell you about everything, even though its so late and we've got to deal with the police and news crews surrounding our house."

Kurt sits silently listening to Blaine's story; going from anxious to surprised and happy for his boyfriend. Only when's Blaine's gets to happy-teary and he can't find the words to express how he feels does Kurt say something. "That's good, Blaine. That's so great."

"Yeah." Blaine mutters quietly in disbelief. "It's great. Everything is great." Kurt can't help but agree. Everything is great. The police have all his tormentors in custody, he's living with Carole and they be able to go home soon and be safe.

The two boys sit a few moments, not speaking, simply relishing in the goodness and the serenity of each other's breathing. "I love you." Blaine whispers.

Kurt can't help but smile. "I love you too."

Another, deeper voice, comes muffled from Blaine's side of the phone. "I've got to go, Kurt." Blaine says a moment later. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"Okay. I should tell everyone the good news. I love you."

Kurt lets Blaine hang up, which takes a few extra seconds, and then breathes gleefully. "Carole. Carole!" he gently shakes the sleeping woman beside him.

"Hm… what?" she mumbles. "Kurt? What's wrong? Is it a nightmare?" She asks suddenly much more awake.

He shakes his head and grins until his face feels like it will split in two. "No. No. It's a dream come true. Laurette's in custody! The police have her."

"What?" Carole asks, now sitting up and looking at him alertly.

"They have her. They arrested her. It's over! We can go home!"

"We can go home? It's over?" He nods and hugs her. They both laugh joyously. Though perhaps a bit too loud; as it wakes Finn up, across the room, and he grumbles at them to be quiet. "Finn! Finn wake up!" Carole tells him.

"What?" he whines.

"Laurette's been arrested. We get to go home!" She cheers.

Finn's wakes more at that and eventually the little family's talking wakes more and more people in the house until almost all the Sterling's, as well as Nick, get to hear and celebrate the good news.

The morning comes with the local news stations officially confirming the end of Laurette's story. Finn has all his things packed into his travel bag and is waiting anxiously by the door to finally go home. Stormie is kind enough to give the little family a ride home after serving them a grand feast for breakfast in celebration.

The police had cleaned up the basement of the Hudmel's house to the best of their ability. The window has been replaced and the furniture fixed and returned to their proper locations. Everything is neat and orderly, yet it's off somehow. The organization in Kurt's room isn't his way of organized. A small reminder of what happened. Carole offers him to take the master bedroom and she'll stay down here if he'd prefer, but he won't do that to her. The reminder of what happened will fade with time. Besides it's over now.

Just as Blaine promised, he comes over to see Kurt later that morning. He knocks impatiently on the front door and scoops Carole up in a hug as soon as it's over. Upon realizing who it is he lets go, embarrassed and moves over to Kurt to give the zealous hello hug to whom it was meant for. Kurt laughs and kisses his heated cheek, telling him that Carole really doesn't mind him hugging her. Truly she tells him that she's just glad they're both safe.

Kurt and Blaine retire to Kurt's room for privacy. They curl together on Kurt's bed, rehashing everything that's happened and relishing in the peace that comes after the battle. They lay there for hours, entwined in each other: arms, hearts and souls.

Dalton's classes are starting up again tomorrow, so Kurt decides to take one last day off too before returning to school. Instead he and Blaine spend the day together. They laze the morning away in Kurt's bed and catch up on the sleep they'd lost the past weeks' nights. They eat lunch with Carole. She goes to work for a short shift that afternoon to help make up the time she's missed during the mess of the past couple weeks. Kurt and Blaine turn on Harry Potter but by the time the young wizard makes it to platform 9 _3/4_ they're not paying any attention to the movie.

Now that they're rested and fed and all the worry is gone they can really celebrate their victory. Watching a movie is not the way to do it: hot kisses full of tongue are. Worshipping each other and kissing each and every bruise on each other's bodies is the way. And if they leave a hickey or five, who's going to notice amongst the rest of the bruises?

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asks when things cool down, turning to gentle, lazy kisses.

"Better." Kurt says. "I'm in a safe home with people I love and love me. I have you; even if it's not all day, every day anymore. The people who hurt me are locked up and can never get to me again. It's better. As good as I think it can be for an orphan." Kurt says and Blaine smiles. Then Kurt adds less-seriously. "Plus, I don't have to wear a stupid uniform anymore because I'm back at McKinley with my glee club and we're going to win Regionals next week."

Blaine smirks in challenge. "Oh, you are? I wouldn't count on it. I happen to know that the Warblers will be taking that crown as our setlist is amazing."

"Nope." Kurt counters. "It may be amazing but it can't beat the setlist the New Directions hasn't come up with."

They both collapse into laughter. Blaine kisses up Kurt's cheek to say in his ear. "I love you. Even if your team is ridiculous."

"We may be ridiculous but we will still win." Kurt says. "And I love you too."

"I hope you do. Win I mean. Obviously, I'm going to do my best to get the trophy for the Warblers but I will be rooting for you, secretly." Blaine says.

Kurt laughs and smiles. "Shut up and kiss me."

Before the movie is over and anybody else has time to get home the boys have their shirts back on and are cuddling innocently on the couch.

To their surprise, it's more than Finn that comes in through the front door that afternoon. He's followed by the host of football players, cheerios and other assorted weirdos who love music that are the New Directions. A cacophony of noise comes with them as they all try to say things at once; greeting Kurt and asking questions. The only thing he can make out clearly is Blaine's whisper in his ear, "Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." Kurt giggles at that.

Mercedes drops onto the couch beside them and demands. "Move over, Blaine Warbler! You've had him all day. I want my white boy now."

Blaine wraps Kurt up tighter in his arms and pulls him closer. "No. He's my Kurtie and I don't like sharing."

Kurt just laughs as he ends up in the center of a tug-o-war. A war which Mercedes ends up winning, with the help of Tina and Brittany. Which leaves Blaine pouting on the floor. Kurt settles it by pulling Blaine between his legs, letting him rest his head on Kurt's thigh and absentmindedly caressing his face and hair while the girls sit by Kurt's side on the couch and they catch up.

The guys take over the tv to play some violent and brain-rotting video game. Santana, Quinn and Rachel join into the girl-talk sitting on the coffee table and floor. They quickly delve into gossip, catching Kurt up on everything he's missed at McKinley.

"So, you are coming back to McKinley, right? You're not returning to the prep-boy school?" Mercedes questions some time later with a pointed look at Blaine.

"Yes. I'm coming back, for real and for good." Kurt says.

They cheer and mush him into a group hug. "Yes! We've got our secret weapon back. We're going to crush those Warblers at regionals." Santana says.

"No, you're not." Blaine argues. "We're already perfecting our numbers and you have yet to even think about your song choices."

"How would you know, Frodo?" Santana bites back.

"Kurt's told me all about your procrastinating ways."

"What!?" Rachel shrieks. "Kurt you've been giving our secrets to the competition?"

"No. I've told my boyfriend funny stories about my friends." Kurt rolls his eyes.

"He is the competition. How do you know he isn't just dating you to mess with us?" She asks snootily.

Kurt looks at her, thinking she's an idiot. "Because, Rachel, we fell in love and started dating long before me coming back to New Directions was a possibility or even a thought; months ago, when I thought I'd be staying at Dalton for the rest of high school. He's not Jesse; and I'm not you. I'm not stupid enough to fall for any random guy who gives me a scrap of attention and has an okay singing voice."

The other girls laugh at her incredulous expression, and there are a few snickers from the guys as well. "Burn!" Santana cries.

Rachel storms out; much like she does the next day from Glee practice after an argument Quinn about Finn and duets. Kurt just shakes his head. Oh, how he'd missed the drama of public high school.

There are a few days of sex-education drama before the group finally realizes they need to focus for the regionals competition next Saturday. Somehow Rachel convinces everyone they should sing original songs. Which gives them less than seven days to have an epic anthem, as well as another song, written and choreographed so they don't look messy once they do get onstage.

Rachel has taken it upon herself to write the other song and everyone else seems fine to go along with it. They'll right the anthem. But not Kurt. He helps out with the anthem but spends most of his creative energy writing his own ballad.

Kurt cannot deny that Rachel's song is amazing. It's emotional and beautiful. Everyone else agrees too, but Kurt's no pushover. He begs Mr. Schue for the chance to sing his song as the solo. Besides, Rachel's already got the lead in the group anthem; she doesn't need both.

Maybe his song isn't better than hers but it too is emotional and beautiful. The other Glee club members agree; quite obviously as more than a few of them shed a tear or two.

Mr. Schue leaves the decision of whose song will be featured up to the group. Being more well-liked than Rachel has one advantage: he gets the majority vote. Kurt's got the solo.


	49. Regionals

_Hey Guys! Welcome to chapter 49. I can't believe we've reached this point; nor do I think I'm ready for it. How 'bout you? Next week is the last update for this story and I'm struggling to comprehend that._

 _The Warblers' song in this chapter is "I Will Rescue You" by Plus One. It was recommended to me by brighteyes421, one of my most loyal readers, who has been there since the beginning and has reviewed every chapter. Thank you. The song is perfect._

 _The other song is called 'What I've lost, What I have" and I wrote it myself. I've been working on it for over a month and am a bit nervous to post it. I'm not really a songwriter, but I tried. Tell me what you all think of it._

 _Enjoy the chapter, leave a review and I'll see you next week for the last hurrah._

Kurt never thought he'd be too nervous to get on stage and sing. It had all come crashing down onto him the moment he'd walked into the auditorium for the competition. He's half of the New Directions' setlist; whether they win or lose is all on him. Barley breathing, hiding his anxiety (because he can't let on how nervous he is or Rachel will force a last-minute change to sing her song) Kurt asks Mr. Schue if he can go find Blaine quickly before the show starts.

He runs down the hall to the Warbler's greenroom door and knocks insistently. The vocal harmonies all cease on the other side and shortly after Wes opens the door a space. "Kurt? What're you doing here? I told you, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to let you spy on us."

Kurt ignores his friend's jibe; instead asking, "Is Blaine here?"

"Yeah." In fact, he's right behind the door. He'd come to stand behind Wes when he'd heard Kurt's name and voice. "I'm here, Baby. What's up?"

Kurt grabs his arm and pulls him in. "Can we talk?" he asks quietly.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asks in concern. Kurt hugs him tighter and gives a pointed look at the many curious Warblers watching them. "Hey, guys. Give us a minute?" Blaine says and moves into the hallway with Kurt, closing the door behind him. "What's going on?"

"Um… well… I have to sing a solo today and… how am I supposed to pull this off? I've never done this before. What if I die onstage? I mean- never mind, that's stupid…"

Blaine interrupts, "Wait. Are you nervous?"

"Please don't judge me. I know it's ridiculous but it feels really important. It's like the whole competition is riding on my shoulders; like, what if I forget the words or I can't get any of the song to come out of my mouth? I can't fail. My team is counting on me and I really need to win this to prove to them that I can do it and to prove that I'm okay and I'm strong. I need to do good for my dad and for you and for me. This is the moment I show everyone that I'm not just the sad-little-boy whose parents died and who was the victim of abuse. I can't let anyone think I'm weak or helpless just because I've gone through Hell. I need to- I need-" the words are lost in his sobs.

Blaine catches him and wipes his tears, shushing him, "Shh, shh. You are putting way too much pressure on yourself." He says. "This is just a show choir competition; after everything you've been through, this is nothing. You're not going to fail; you have the most amazing voice ever. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You are strong. I know it; and, so do your friends. They aren't going to hate you of blame you if you guys lose."

"Rachel will." Kurt says.

"Yeah? Well Rachel's a bitch. She's never had to go through anything hard in her life; so, she has no room to talk. You are the strong one. And nobody who actually knows and cares about you, nobody that actually matters, is going to judge or belittle you for what you've gone through. Because those people know that you're strong enough to go through it all on your own. But Kurt, you don't have to either. Those people want to and will always be there to support you because they love you. No matter the outcome of a competition." Kurt's tears are slower by the end of Blaine's speech.

"How can you know?" he whispers.

Blaine smiles lovingly. "Because I love you; and I could never even think of judging you for anything." Kurt looks at Blaine's honest face in awe. It's still so hard to believe someone could look at him, could love him like that. "I have a secret to tell you; don't tell Wes I told you." Blaine continues. "I have a solo today too."

Kurt snorts and rolls his eyes. "Do you ever not? You are the lead singer."

Blaine smirks. "As I was saying. I have a solo, just like you; and, just like you, I'm a little nervous. Because I picked this song out specially to tell my beautiful boyfriend how much he means to me; and that I would do anything for him." Kurt blushes. "I'll support him through his solo, if he'll support me though mine. Because I know that if he can't do this there's no way I can; he is much braver than me. Okay?"

Kurt nods smiling with a few giggles at his silly, incredible, amazing, supermegafoxyawesomehot (and a million other good adjectives) boyfriend.

"Good. You deserve to have this solo. You are going to kill it out there." Blaine says.

Kurt breathes in a calm breathe and stands up straight. "You're right. I will. And then I'll win that huge first-place trophy and boast a little about it over your second-place trophy." He says and wraps his arms loosely around Blaine's neck.

"Oh-ho-ho. Will you now?" Blaine asks with a glimmer in his eyes. He grips Kurt's hips and pull him closer. "And what makes you so sure you'll be the one bragging about the first-place trophy to me? I think it is going to be the other way around."

"Mhm." Kurt hums sarcastically before breaking the last inch boundary and kissing Blaine hard into the wall.

Not ten seconds later does an impatient Wes poke his head out of the Warbler's door. "Can we have our lead back now Kurt? We're here for a competition, not a romantic getaway."

The boyfriends separate their lips. Kurt giving Wes a small glare and the sass of "You wouldn't say the same if it was you and David kissing." Which Blaine laughs at.

"He's right though. We should get back to our teams. The show is going to start soon." Blaine says.

Kurt concedes. "Fine. But afterwards, you are all mine." Blaine doesn't hesitate to agree. They share one last kiss and Kurt makes his way back to the New Directions to watch the first group perform.

The Warblers get the second slot and as the curtains rise on them Kurt can't help but feel excited to hear what song Blaine had picked out for him. His boyfriends gorgeous voice rings out beautifully through the auditorium.

"When your days are dark

And your nights are cold

When you've just about lost all your faith

When your will is gone

And your heart is torn

'cuz nothing is going your way

When the world has got you trapped and you can't find that open door

If you're ever in a battle and you just can't fight no more

(No more)

I will rescue you.

I will rescue you.

I will shelter you from the rain.

I will dry your tears,

Cast away your fears,

And bring you to brighter days.

Whenever you're lost and confused,

Like a fairytale come true,

I will rescue you.

(Ooo)

If you ever feel

that you can't go on

When your life just becomes too hard

And the dreams you thought

Were within your reach

Suddenly seem so far

When the world is on your case and you don't have a place to run

If the storm keeps getting stronger and you cannot see the sun

I will rescue you.

I will rescue you.

I will shelter you from the rain.

I will dry your tears,

Cast away your fears,

And bring you to brighter days.

Whenever you're lost and confused,

Like a fairytale come true,

I will rescue you.

And it don't matter where you are

I'll be by your side.

I'll be the rock that you can lean on.

I'll be your guide.

I will rescue you.

I will rescue you.

I will shelter you from the rain.

I will dry your tears,

Cast away your fears,

And bring you to brighter days.

Whenever you're lost and confused,

Like a fairytale come true,

I will rescue you.

(oh)

Just reach for me

(reach for me)

And I will rescue you."

Blaine's gaze finds Kurt in the beginning of the song and doesn't waver throughout the rest. Just when he thought he might be done crying for a while, more tears leak from Kurt's beautiful glasz eyes. Though for once they're not of pain, fear or sadness; they're tears for love and happiness. He applauds more heartedly than the rest of the crowd. Blaine blows a kiss across the audience, making many girls swoon, but Kurt is the one who gets to catch it.

The Warblers then launch into "Raise Your Glass". Kurt can't help but laugh, amused that they had used that song, seeing as it's one he'd been practicing with them right before he transferred back to McKinley. They get another round of applause as they take their bows and leave the stage.

Then Kurt's being rushed to the back with his team to set up for their performance. Before he knows it he's center stage, standing with only his crutches, with the curtain rising before him.

The auditorium is entirely dark for a blessed moment. Kurt flicks his eyes around to where he knows the Warblers are sitting, searching for his boyfriend's honey eyes to see the love and assurance in them. He sees them for less than a second before the spotlight bursts down on him and he's blinded.

His original music plays out and as he'd feared he almost misses his cue. As he sings the first words he can't muster any confidence and is really glad he wrote such a heavy song 'because there's no way he can muster up a smile.

"Death, it follows me around

Putting family in the ground;

Didn't know what else to do

Thought maybe I'd go there too.

I looked around and saw no hope;

Life was on a fraying rope.

Needed to escape the pain

Chose the pills over the chains."

As his eyes adjust to the bright spotlight on him, Kurt regains his vision of the audience. Most looked completely shocked. A few have tears already falling down their faces, including Blaine. It's really not a confidence booster; but, he presses on.

"The room is dark

swallowing all my joy

and there's no escape in my view.

I only wanted

to be with them again

Didn't think of what I had to lose.

I can take a punch or two,

Beat me 'till I'm black and blue;

That kind of pain cannot compare

To living without them here.

I couldn't see what I still had

All the wrong driving me mad;

Missed the love I couldn't see,

Love that was in front of me.

The room is dark

swallowing all my joy

and there's no escape in my view.

I only wanted

to be with them again

Didn't think of what I had to lose."

Kurt keeps his eyes locked on Blaine throughout the next few stanzas to let him know: he's apologizing to him for everything he's put him through, and to let him know that he's enough for Kurt.

"I wanted to

Go home again

I was in pain and I was scared

I'm sorry that

I didn't see

I didn't know how much you cared.

I would take it all back

To keep you in the light,

far from my darkness.

I didn't want to hurt

Anyone;

I just didn't want to hurt

Anymore.

What I have,

it cannot replace the things I've lost;

but it is,

enough to keep me feeling alright.

I wont

give in to blackness poisoning my mind,

as long

as I have someone to keep me here.

I wanted to

Go home again

I was in pain and I was scared

I'm sorry that

I didn't see

I didn't know how much you cared.

I would take it all back

To keep you in the light,

far from my darkness.

I didn't want to hurt

Anyone;

I just didn't want to hurt.

I didn't want to hurt anymore."

As the final note fades, the auditorium becomes completely silent; there isn't a dry eye anywhere. It's like everyone is holding their breath; they don't know what to do, how to respond. It's Blaine, of course it is, who starts applauding first. He jumps up, calling out a "Bravo!" in his watery voice. The other Warblers are right behind him; and all of Kurt's other friends and family in the audience. From there like a wave of cacophonous noise, there's cheers and clapping.

Kurt just about loses it. Fighting to hold back tears and sobs. It takes him a moment to come to himself enough to bow and call out the introduction for the next song. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're the New Directions!"

The others join him on stage to perform "Loser Like Me". Kurt's glad to take a backseat for this one. His own song had taken too much out of him.

It's an even bigger relief to get off stage and into the greenroom to wait for results. He can finally let it all go. Something between a sob and a laugh comes from his mouth, followed by more of the same. He's crying and giggling as the stress disappears and he can just bask in the fact that he got a standing ovation for his first competition solo. Mercedes, Brittany and Tina are smothering him in hugs rapidly and he's getting all kinds of praise and congratulations from his teammates and Mr. Schue. Even Rachel admits that he did amazing.

The call back to stage for results comes quickly. They file onto stage to stand between Oral Intensity and the Warblers; Kurt in the front row of the group but off to the side by the Warblers, or more specifically by Blaine. The super-drunk lady reading the results is a little weird; but, Kurt can get over it as she read's out that New Directions won.

Blaine reacts faster than him and has him in a crushing hug in milliseconds. He bouncing and saying "I knew it. I knew it as soon as you were singing. You were amazing! You were so amazing, Baby!" and then he's kissing Kurt right there on stage. It's only a short peck; but it's there and there's so much happening that no one else is paying attention anyway. So, Kurt returns it with a small kiss of his own.

The Warblers congratulate them and leave none-so put out by their second- place trophy. Blaine stays though, glued to Kurt's side on the New Directions bus. Winning first-place and having Blaine at his side, Kurt feels like he can do anything.


	50. Half Year

_Hello my dear readers, and goodbye, I guess. This is the end of this story. This last installments just a short epilogue to tie up everything. Part of me honestly doesn't want to post this because then, that's it, it's all over. I don't know what to do with myself now; this story has been a huge part of my life for the past year and it feels weird to be done with it. I will be writing more stories and potentially even a sequel to this one, if you guys want me to; but saying goodbye to this story is a little hard._ _This story didn't end up anything like I'd first imagined it to be; but, it did have everything I'd originally intended; there just ended up being a whole lot more than I'd expected. It's been a crazy journey and I thank you all for sharing it with me._ _Thank you for your support and reviews. You're amazing and I'll miss you. Hopefully, I'll see you in my next story: Coming soon._

 _Also, I know this update is a day later than you all expected; and I'm sorry to anyone who was disappointed when they couldn't find it yesterday; but, I actually did that on purpose because today is the one year anniversary of when I posted the first chapter._

April 7, 2011. It's over, wholly and for good. After weeks of testimonies and court trials, Laurette, Vincent and Ms. Newton's had been handed their sentences today. Both Laurette and Vincent were going to prison for life; alright it was more like a fifty year sentence but it's highly unlikely they'll still be alive by the time they get released; and if they are, they'll be over 90 years old and pose absolutely no threat to anyone. Ms. Newton got off easier with the minimum 2 years in prison and at least a year of parole afterward, as well as never holding a state job again. But, Kurt'll take what he can get.

Now, still in his nice suit from court, Kurt's holding a big bouquet of flowers and sitting in the passenger seat of Blaine's car while they ride to the cemetery. He directs Blaine to the closest parking space there is to his parents' grave. Together they make their way there; walking hip to hip as they now can, since Kurt no longer needs the crutches. They kneel in the soft, spring grass and Kurt places the bouquet in the built-in vase at the top of the headstone.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. It's been a while since I've been here; sorry about that. Things have just been really hard lately. It's better now. I'm okay; though I almost wasn't." Kurt says. "It's a long story. I've got a lot to tell you."

He sighs heavily, not sure where to start. Maybe he doesn't have to at all. Who's gonna think differently of him if he doesn't tell the story of the last six months to the headstone of his parent's graves? But then, it feels right that he should. It's feels like maybe they are listening; like they're somehow here.

Blaine squeezes his hand and Kurt looks up at him. "This is Blaine. He's my boyfriend." He blurts and turns back to the headstone. "It's part of that really long story. But, I want you to know that I really love him. I think… one day, I'm going to marry him." Blaine looks at him in awe and shock. Kurt presses on. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I hope you approve of him. I think you would. You'd like him a lot. He even saved my life.

"I had to move in with Laurette and Vincent after Dad died and they were abusive. Beating me and… all that. I don't want to repeat it all. But, um, I-I put up with it for months. Until they almost killed me, twice; and Blaine made me tell the police.

"He also saved me from killing myself a couple months ago. I got really low; Laurette and Vincent had tied me up and broke my foot and beat me for a solid week. Actually, Blaine saved me from that too. Then after, I couldn't deal with the leftover trauma and tried to kill myself. I'm sorry." Kurt breaks down in tears. Blaine holds him up and wipes at his tears as Kurt sobs out the rest of the story.

A few more breakdowns and an hour later Kurt's calmed down enough to finish with the happy ending. "They're going away forever. I'm safe, now, living with Carole. I see grandpa all the time. And I have Blaine." Said boy presses his lips to Kurt's head. Kurt smiles. "I still miss you all the time. But I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me; just be happy together in the afterlife, if there is one. I'll be happy here."

The end of the story is met with a calm surrender. The soft April breeze, birds twittering in the trees and their own breathing are the only sounds. Kurt burrows himself into Blaine's arms fully. "Thank you for coming with me." he says quietly.

Blaine hums a gentle sound of assurance. "Of course."

They sit in the calm, just holding each other and looking at the headstone, for a few moments. Eventually, Kurt takes one last deep breath and says. "We can go now."

Blaine nods. "Can I say something to them first?"

Kurt looks at him curiously but nods his permission.

"Um, Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. I'm Blaine Anderson, as Kurt said. And I just want to let you know that I really, really love your son. He's he most beautiful, wonderful, courageous person I've ever met. He's the most precious thing to me in this world and I promise that I'll take good care of him. I'll never leave him and I am going to marry him. Not yet, of course; but, someday. And I would love to have your blessing for that. Please." Blaine asks ever so politely.

Kurt can hardly believe what he's hearing and once the silence falls after Blaine's request, he's puling Blaine's face forcefully by the curls to give him the most passionate kiss they've ever shared. "I love you. I love you. I love you." Kurt says muffled against Blaine's lips. "Thank you."

"I love you too. I really do mean it. Someday, I will make you my husband." Blaine promises.

Kurt nods. "I do. I do."

Blaine laughs. "Not quite yet, silly. Lets at least graduate high school first."

Kurt nods. "Okay. Whenever you'd like. Just say the word."

Blaine kisses him again. "Okay. Now, I do believe we have a celebration to get to. Carole's making fettucine alfredo and I refuse to miss it."

Kurt laughs. "Yeah, we'd better get there before Finn eats it all."

He doesn't actually hear the words, it's only a feeling deep in his heart; but, as they walk back to the car it comes to him all the same. Like a hug from his dad and the way his mother used to sing him to sleep. They approve; he's sure of it. His parents approve of Blaine.

Kurt had gone through hell the last six months; but now he's stronger. He'd lost a lot; but, he's gained a lot too. He'd lost his dad, physically; and he's gained Blaine. His Blaine; his someday-husband, whom he'll build a life with; his new family; his forever.


End file.
